His Master
by Seth Turtle
Summary: In this fic, Mewtwo has hidden himself and his Super Pokemon from Giovanni and the world for one year. But now a specially trained member of Team Rocket is sent after him in a secret mission that could mean the end of Mewtwo's freedom. (Completed)
1. I

  
Giovanni looked up when somebody knocked on his door. "Yes, come in." he said, putting down his pen and pushing his papers aside. The door opened, revealing a young woman that looked like she was barely 18, dressed in the black and red uniform of the infamous Team Rocket. Her hair was long, purple, and well cared for, and her deep brown eyes showed an intense determination from within her. She closed the door behind her and stood at attention before Giovanni's desk.   
  
Giovanni folded his hands before him and looked at her up and down, wondering if there was some mistake. "So you are Kayla Branaghan? The special trainee I've been funding for the past year?"  
  
Kayla bowed her head silently. Her face remained fixed, and her tone was even. "Yes, sir. I'm the one."  
  
Giovanni stood up and paced to the front of his desk, where his pet Persian looked up at its master and purred lightly. Giovanni folded his hands behind his back and looked her up and down again. "I still find it amazing that you are the one training for this mission. You don't look the type to be a criminal."  
  
Kayla smiled evilly. "That's why I'm never caught."  
  
Giovanni smiled. "It's also probably why I've never heard of you prior to this mission. You look so...naive."  
  
Kayla felt impatience set in. "Sir...may I ask why my Pokemon and I have been training against countless psychic pokemon for the past year in your gym?"  
  
Giovanni held up a file. "This will explain it all.". He handed the young woman the file, adding "Once you're done with that, you will destroy it. Is that clear?"  
  
Kayla bowed. "Yes, sir.". She turned and left the room, while Giovanni sat at his desk once more. He absently rubbed his Persian's head, who purred happily.  
  
"Yes, Persian. It's time for our 'partner' to give back what is rightfully ours."  
  
****  
  
"Mewtwo. The name strikes fear in the hearts of the extreme few who know of its existence. No other creature has inspired so much terror in human and pokemon alike. The name is feared for good reason. Out of all the pokemon alive, no other possesses so much power...even when compared to the Legendary Birds."  
  
"The power of Mewtwo is beyond normal conception. Possessing psychic powers beyond belief, this pokemon can manipulate the forces of nature to create storms, create powerful balls of explosive energy, and even alter and control the minds of both humans and pokemon! No other creature possesses abilities of such strength...and hopefully none ever will."  
  
"The origins of Mewtwo are shrouded in mystery. From what I've read in these files, he was created in a lab by a secret organization somehow involved with Giovanni. They had access to rare genetic material from an ancient pokemon called Mew. This pokemon, now believed to be extinct, possessed powerful psychic abilities, but was still comparable to the strongest pokemon of today's world. With that genetic material and the most advanced technology at hand, Giovanni had his scientists alter and enhance the cells to magnify the natural powers of the pokemon to unnatural levels, thus creating the ultimate weapon in Giovanni's repetoire."  
  
"When Mewtwo awoke, something must have happened. These files don't describe it in too much detail, but it seems that Mewtwo practically destroyed Giovanni's gym when he escaped to parts unknown. It's been a year since then, and during that time, Mewtwo has remained hidden from the world, trying his best to hide himself and his super-clones from humanity."  
  
Kayla shut the file and threw it on the desk "But now...he'll meet his destiny as a pokemon...and I, Kayla, will be the one to show him what a true Pokemon Master can do. Mewtwo...you're mine."  
  
****  
  
-----------------------------  
Uncharted Tropical Island  
Orange Island Archipelagoes  
-----------------------------  
  
The tropical forest, filled to the brim with life, was just waking up to the sunrise. The sky was filled with a deep amber light as the sun peaked over the horizon. The forest itself was silent, except for the few pokemon just waking up. The chirping started to wake up the other creatures inhabiting the forest...and the one sleeping in the lake in the island's center.  
  
A pair of eyes slowly opened as the first rays of light hit the lake floor. As the light moved down its body, the fish inhabiting the lake moved out of the pokemon's path. The creature swam around, admiring the beauty one could only find underwater, before swiftly turning upward and launching from the water into the sky. Water sprayed everywhere like a geyser, startling the resident wildlife.  
  
Mewtwo paused in mid-flight above the lake as he admired the amazing image of the tropical sunrise before him. The pokemon breathed in the morning air and felt a renewed strength. Flying to this island for a chance to relax was a good idea, Mewtwo thought, and he was glad that he could enjoy the beautiful scenery in peace.  
  
A growl from Mewtwo's stomach told him that it was time for breakfast, so the pokemon sped through the sky over the island forest, swooping dramatically in loops around the bigger trees he passed. Finally, Mewtwo found what he was looking for... a small clearing in the forest where a patch of mango trees grew. The pokemon let his telekinetic energy disperse, and he fell gracefully to the ground with his cat-like dexterity. The pokemon already there sensed his presence, and instantly the solitary ones darted away, while those with family gathered behind the stronger parents as they ate. Mewtwo glanced sadly at them, until finally he slowly approached the tree grove. As a large Nidoqueen guarding her babies watched him warily, Mewtwo reached up and plucked a single mango from the tree. Instantly he backed off, not wanting to frighten them anymore, and floated back to the lake, landing on an outcropping next to the waterfall that fed the small body of water.  
  
Silently, Mewtwo ate the juicy fruit, tasting the sweet flavor of the mango and savoring it. Rarely did he have a chance to eat food and actually enjoy it, since he was always busy providing for the super pokemon living on his newest island, while watching for strangers who approached the island. As their creator, Mewtwo felt a deep responsibility for their safety and security. Despite the fact that they were strong enough to live on their own, they were dependant on Mewtwo. They were pokemon, and he was their guardian...their 'trainer'.  
  
Mewtwo finished the mango fruit, and dangled his arms lazily over the edge of the outcropping. The waterfall sprayed jets of outwash into the air, refracting the warm sunlight to make all the colors of the rainbow appear before him. The air was humid, but cool, which only enhanced Mewtwo's general feeling of relaxation. The pokemon's eyes calmly swept over the sky, glancing at the various clouds and flying pokemon that passed over the island. Down below, a group of pokemon that pretty much owned the island made use of the freshwater lake in the center that served as the water source for most of the life there. Now that Mewtwo had moved to the outcropping above, the pokemon had gathered the courage to use the lake, all the while keeping an eye on Mewtwo.   
  
Mewtwo didn't care about their feelings toward him at the moment. He was too relaxed to worry about anything at that moment...which was the idea in the first place for coming here. After all the stress of this past year- his attempt at world domination (and the change in his heart that followed), the disaster with the Legendary Birds in Orange Island, and his constant attempts to hide his fellow super pokemon from Giovanni and his criminal organization Team Rocket- Mewtwo had been feeling horrible and weak. Being quite knowledgeable in Pokemon anatomy (thanks to the Nurse Joy he had brought to New Island some time ago), Mewtwo knew that the best way to get rid of his "illness" was to take some time to cool off.   
  
A strange noise filled the air...something that sounded like a motor boat. Mewtwo opened his half-closed eyes to get a glimpse of what the source of the noise was. On the western beach of the island, a small motorboat had landed. Two young boys, no more than 13, hopped out of the boat and looked around the island. Both were dressed in strange outfits that sort of made them stand out. One of the boys was dressed in a style reminiscent of a popular video game character. He wore a green tunic that fell well below his waist, and wore a white pair of pants and shirt underneath it. On his head was a green hat that went down his back at the top. His hands had studded leather gloves on, like the kind archers wore to protect their hands, and a set of tan, leather boots on his feet. He also had a leather belt of the same color that encircled his waist with a pouch holding a Pokedex attached to it, along with several pokeballs, filled and empty.  
  
The other boy was dressed like a martial artist out of some anime. He wore a black training outfit with a symbol emblazoned on the left side of the gi's chest area, and wore black boots and wrist bands. Tied around his waist was a black belt in the typical Karate fashion. In his pockets he carried a Pokedex as well, along with his pokeballs.  
  
"...Trainers." muttered Mewtwo as he stood. "Probably heard that nobody has ever come to this island, so now they hope to make an easy catch of some rare pokemon. Let's see what they plan on doing today..." he said in a playful way. The tropical air had brought out the hidden side of Mewtwo...the one he left behind as Mew. He jumped into the air, falling to Earth and only turning on his flight powers at the last moment. The pokemon zoomed over the treeline until he was on another outcropping above the beach where the two pokemon trainers had landed. Using his acute hearing, Mewtwo listened in on their conversation.  
  
"Well, here we are Drew." said the one with the green hat. "This island is so new that it doesn't even have a name yet...meaning there should be plenty of pokemon for us to catch."  
  
Drew looked around the beach, trying to see what kind of pokemon inhabited the island, but to no avail. "I don't know about this Matt. It looks like there's nothing here. And even if there was, I doubt any of these will be any rarer than what's on the other islands back home."  
  
Matt groaned. "That doesn't mean that we shouldn't at least go check it out! Even if we don't find anything worthwhile here, we can still train our pokemon. This is the perfect place to spend the day training. Nobody to bother us, and no distractions from city life."  
  
"I guess you're right." said Drew, pulling out a pokeball marked with the same symbol as the one on his outfit. "Let's pull the boat out of the water. Then we can start looking around."  
  
"Cool." said Matt, who was already halfway to the boat. Together they pulled the boat up the beach until it was safely away from the tide, and together they entered the tropical island in search of pokemon.  
  
"Heeeere pokemon...." said Matt. He whistled as if he were calling his pet dog, which provoked Drew to smack the back of his head.   
  
"What'd you do that for?!" growled Matt.   
  
"Why do you have to be such an idiot? No pokemon in their right mind would take you seriously doing that."  
  
{You've got that right...} thought Mewtwo as he silently floated just above them.  
  
Matt nodded. "I'm just trying to have fun Drew! You need to relax just a little. You don't have to spend all your time training for the league."  
  
Drew expanded one of his marked pokeballs. "Whatever." he cocked his head as if to hear something better. "I can hear a group of pokemon nearby...they're small ones. Probably Mankeys."  
  
Matt expanded one of his pokeballs as well. "Let's get 'em then. Go Scyther!" he shouted, throwing his pokeball. From the ball appeared a well-built Scyther in front of him. The pokemon looked up at his master with an almost evil smile.   
  
"You ready to go Drew?"  
  
Drew frowned at the obvious immaturity of his friend, but it didn't matter at this point. The pokemon all knew they were there, so they might as well get started. He nodded. "Alright. Go Hitmonlee!". The pokeball flew to the ground, freeing a fast Hitmonlee ready for battle. The pokemon bowed to Drew, who bowed back.   
  
Mewtwo frowned. {These guys get on my nerves...and I'm sure the Mankeys and the other pokemon don't appreciate them being here either. *sigh*...my work is never done.}. Mewtwo turned upside down, still floating above the two, and lightly tapped one of them on the shoulder.  
  
Matt swung around. "What was that?!"  
  
"What're you talking about?" Drew said, sneaking his way through the first of the brush.   
  
Matt looked left and right once more. "Oh, nothing. I guess I should just relax." said Matt. No answer came. "Drew?...hey are you listening to me?" Matt ran through the brush, and found that both Drew and his Hitmonlee had disappeared.   
  
Matt assumed a defensive position, while his Scyther leaped before him and looked around as well. "Drew, if this is a joke it isn't funny!"  
  
{Looking for these two?}  
  
"Who said that?! Show yourself!" yelled Matt. Drew and Hitmonlee dropped to the ground, falling in a heap before Matt. He ran to his friend and checked to make sure he was alright.  
  
"Don't worry...they're only sleeping." said the same deep voice. Matt looked up to see a tall, purple pokemon with cat-like features float easily to the ground. He stood just over six feet, and was the most frightening thing Matt had ever seen. Scyther leaped in front of Matt and his sleeping friends and stood defiantly before Mewtwo.  
  
"Who are you?!" said Matt.   
  
Mewtwo smiled, but neither the boy nor his pokemon could tell. "Who I am doesn't matter. All I know is that you and your friend don't belong here."  
  
Matt pulled out his pokedex, pointing it at Mewtwo. "Well it's obvious that you're a pokemon of some kind. Let's find out what kind you are."   
  
The pokedex beeped as it scanned Mewtwo. /No available data./  
  
The boy smiled evilly. "Well, well, well...looks we really did find something rare on this island. Alright then. I guess I'll just have to capture you and become famous.". His Scyther agreed, swiping his bladed hands together menacingly.   
  
Mewtwo stood tall before the boy. "It's people like you that made me what I am today. Fight me if you want, but I warn you...you can't beat me."  
  
Scyther growled angrily at Mewtwo, which got his attention. "You disagree?" said Mewtwo. The Scyther growled again and took a step forward.  
  
"You talk big, but my Scyther took me to the top 8 in the Orange League last year! He's the best there is!"  
  
Mewtwo sighed. "I came here to get away from stress, and I end up having to deal with a punk kid and his pokemon.". He rubbed his forehead as a headache started to form. "Listen, either you leave the pokemon on this island in peace, or your Scyther will be missing his wings."  
  
"You don't scare us, right Scyther!" retorted Matt. Scyther growled in affirmation. "Scyther, Quick Attack!". Scyther zipped side to side, moving so fast that it was nothing but a green blur.   
  
Mewtwo activated his Swift power, and instantly everything started moving in super slow motion for him. The extremely fast Scyther was now no faster than an old man to Mewtwo, which made it easy to give him and his master the shock of his life.  
  
Scyther slashed repeatedly at his opponent, but each time Mewtwo moved out of the path of the attack. The two zipped through the air as a blur of green and purple. Trees and brush were slashed to ribbons as Scyther gave it his all, but no matter how hard it tried, it didn't have the skill that Mewtwo had.  
  
"Scyther, Leer!" yelled Matt. Scyther froze in midair, and its eyes began to glow as it tried to stun Mewtwo.  
  
Mewtwo smiled. "I think this game is over." he said. His eyes began to glow with bluish energy as he called on his telepathic powers. Scyther's Leer had no effect on Mewtwo's superior mind, which caught Matt off guard.  
  
"What the...Scyther, get-" A flash of light filled the area around them, and Matt and Scyther both felt conciousness slip away.   
  
Mewtwo returned the two unconcious pokemon to their pokeballs, and returned the balls to the boys' pockets. Silently, he picked the two up and headed towards their boat.  
  
"Why did you help us?" said a voice from behind him. Mewtwo turned around to see a Mankey, followed by several other resident pokemon who had just witnessed the battle between Mewtwo and Scyther. Many of them there were still afraid of Mewtwo...in fact, even more so now that they had seen the kind of power he controlled. Some of them, however, weren't so sure, now that they had seen how he had defended them. Mewtwo looked around at the various pokemon, each of them waiting for his answer.   
  
"Why?" repeated the Mankey. "You aren't one of us."  
  
Mewtwo frowned. "Why do you say that?"  
  
"Well...you don't look like a pokemon." said the Mankey. Although Mewtwo didn't show it, that comment probably hurt him more than anything that Scyther could have ever done to him.  
  
"It's not that. I just understand how valuable privacy can be to someone.". Mewtwo turned and walked to the boat, where he placed the two boys inside. Placing his hands on their heads, he called on his telepathic abilities, and modified the memories of the two so that they think the island was empty. With a mental push, the boat was sent into the water and off toward the populated section of the Orange Islands.   
  
"There...that should do it." said Mewtwo to himself. He looked up at the sky to get a feel for the weather, and saw a thick layer of clouds above the sea- perfect for flying without attracting attention. Mewtwo sighed. "I guess my vacation is over."  
  
Mewtwo again called on his special abilities, causing an aura of blue psychic energy to surround him. Sand sprayed in all directions as he levitated into the air. When he felt comfortable, Mewtwo launched into the air, zooming through the white clouds at high speed, looking over his shoulder at the beautiful paradise he had to leave behind.  
  
On the beach, the same Mankey watched him fly away. "Thank you, kind stranger." he said before running back into the forest.   
  
****  
  
Kayla watched as the figure surrounded by blue light launched into the skies, leaving the island behind. From her unmarked seaplane, she watched as Mewtwo flew north at a pace that would be difficult to keep up with.   
  
"Well girls, looks like your noses were right on." she said, smiling down at two pokeballs in her hand. "I know you're ready to show that thing what you're made of, but we have to be patient. Giovanni gave us a mission...and for now we have to do it his way. As the old saying goes...'Business before pleasure'."  
  
Kayla geared up the seaplane and flew in the same direction as Mewtwo, thinking all the while how fun it would be to capture Mewtwo, and show that pokemon how to respect its master. 


	2. II

Mewtwo zoomed through the sky at near sonic speed, oblivious to the almost supernatural beauty of the pillowy clouds below him. The pokemon was lost in his thoughts, remembering times long ago...  
  
[Flashback]  
  
Mew floated through the tree, searching for just the right apple to eat. The little pokemon sniffed each one, 'mewing' each time as it tried to decide on just the right one. Finally, at the top of the tree, Mew found the juiciest apple in the tree. He wrapped his tiny arms around the fruit and pulled it with all its might. The apple gave way, and Mew cheered as it dug into the delicious fruit.   
  
"Help! Somebody help me!" shouted a voice from below. Mew looked down as a small girl of about six years of age ran by. She was fleeing in terror from an obviously angry Rhydon, who chased after the girl and swiped at her as best it could while running. The girl cried for help again, and just barely avoided a charge from the angry pokemon. Rhydon crashed through the tree it had collided with, and turned around as it continued the pursuit. The girl stumbled to the ground, and looked up in fear at Rhydon. She breathed heavily, showing the fatigue running through her small body.   
  
"Please! Leave me alone!" she shouted. The Rhydon didn't listen, and instead prepared for another charge that would crush the girl.   
  
Mew squeeked angrily and threw its apple at the Rhydon. The fruit bounced off the creature's snout, which did little to hurt it, but was enough to get its attention. Mew floated down to eye-level with the massive pokemon, who stared down at the odd creature before it. As the girl ran for cover, the Rhydon snorted at Mew, thinking to intimidate it. Rather than scurry for cover, Mew started to glow with pink energy. The little creature lashed out telekinetically at Rhydon, sending it sliding backwards. Rhydon snorted angrilly and powered up for a Tackle attack. The giant pokemon charged at Mew, filling its field of vision...  
  
****  
  
{Wha?!}  
  
Mewtwo blinked in surprise as the Rhydon in its memories became a loud Pidgeot. The bird pokemon zoomed by at Mach 2, and Mewtwo just barely avoided it with some clever acrobatics. The roaring sound of the large bird flying by at a speed faster than sound brought Mewtwo out of his daydream immediately. The super pokemon floated there quietly as he tried to catch his breath and watched the Pidgeot fly out of his line of vision.  
  
{That was close...} said Mewtwo to himself. {My memories will be the death of me if I don't be more careful.}. He returned to his original flight pattern, soaring towards his home island- New Island 2. From above, it was a rather impressive sight. His home was composed of an underground lab, a massive palace made in a futuristic gothic style, and a respectable gym used to train his fellow super pokemon. All of it was powered by the large fans built atop his palace to catch the wind and turn the turbines beneath the surface of the island. It had a harbor that could be used to dock the various boats built by man, but it was typically used only by water pokemon to go in and out. Only pokemon ever come to this island, and even then it is typically for something extreme. Most of the pokemon on Earth would rather not deal with Mewtwo and his fellow "freaks" of nature, but when big problems are afoot, they are often asked for help.  
  
Mewtwo floated onto a balcony just above the outdoor gym, and entered the main lab. It was just as he left it- a room filled with a massive supercomputer and various instruments used to record data on the various experiments Mewtwo performs. Mewtwo walked past these, and entered his personal chambers deep beneath the surface. Only he was ever allowed in here- not even his faithful super pokemon were allowed to see this place.   
  
Mewtwo stood in the center of his room, deciding what he would do first. After a long day of flying, his energy reserves were fairly exhausted, so he chose to go to bed rather than worry about anything else. With that decided, he fell on the bed he used to sleep in (since he couldn't stand to be in a pokeball) and let sleep come.   
  
****  
  
Mewtwo heard an explosion from outside, and instantly teleported outside to see what was going on. Mewtwo looked in horror at the destruction around him. Amongst the wreckage of his once grand island, the bodies of the super pokemon that lived with him...his brothers and sisters...were all dead.   
  
{No...}  
  
Mewtwo went from body to body, checking for signs of life, but in each case there was nothing. Just a still body.   
  
{No...It can't be true...}  
  
Mewtwo screamed with rage, and the island shook with his fury. What was left of the gym floor collapsed as his power surged with anger.   
  
"We're coming for you Mewtwo..."  
  
{Who's there?!}  
  
"We're going to get you..." they said in a sing-song voice.  
  
{You...you killed them...}  
  
"We're going to get you..."  
  
{Come out and show yourself!}  
  
The sky turned a deep shade of red as two magnificent figures swooped through the clouds. The skies quaked as thunder and lightning appeared, as if to herald the arrival of these two figures of horror. Mewtwo looked up as two creatures floated before him. They were obviously draconian in appearance, but they were larger than an Onix, and were composed of complete darkness like a Gengar...except for their red eyes that glowed with evil intent.  
  
{You'll pay for what you did to my friends!} cried Mewtwo. He surged with psychic power and launched a devastating blast of power at the two figures. They laughed down at him and let the blast hit them. Nothing happened but a sudden puff of smoke that drifted from where they were hit.  
  
{What...impossible.}  
  
"We're right behind you..."  
  
****  
  
{No!}  
  
Mewtwo sat up and gasped for air as he awoke. Sweat ran down his body and he looked left and right for the monsters he had just been fighting. Slowly, comprehension dawned on him.  
  
{Was I dreaming?}  
  
Mewtwo leaped out of bed and flew out to the main chambers. He went to the room where the super pokemons' pokeballs were kept. Looking inside, he saw all of them present, and went so far as to telepathically confirm whether they were still sleeping inside. All were present and accounted for. Mewtwo breathed a deep sigh of relief and slowly walked back to the main lab. He paused at the stairway that lead to his private chambers.  
  
{Was it just a dream....or a vision? What was it I saw...}  
  
*Flash* [We're coming for you Mewtwo...] *Flash*  
  
Mewtwo blinked and wiped the sweat from his face. {What were those things? They couldn't have been real.}  
  
*Flash* [We're going to get you...] *Flash*  
  
Mewtwo extended his psychic senses and searched the area for any signs of intruders. Other than himself and his sleeping brethren, there were no other signs of life on the island. Mewtwo still didn't feel satisfied, so he flew outside and zipped around the island. He searched every nook and cranny he could find, and even swam beneath the waves searching for them. By the time the morning sun peaked over the horizon, Mewtwo surfaced and finally gave up his search.   
  
{Whatever it is...it isn't here.}  
  
"So there you are." said a female voice from the shore. Mewtwo looked and saw an attractive teenage girl dressed in a familiar uniform. Mewtwo floated out of the water and hovered a few yards from her.   
  
"Who are you." said Mewtwo simply.   
  
"Why don't you just read my mind, and find out?" she challenged. She put her hands on her hips and smiled evilly at the pokemon. "You can't, can you."  
  
Mewtwo confirmed her words. Indeed his mental abilities didn't seem to work on her. His eyes focused on her with anger. "What is a member of Team Rocket doing on my island." he stated.  
  
The girl smiled and pulled out two pokeballs. "The same thing we do everywhere. Steal pokemon.". The two pokeballs expanded with a press of the button.  
  
Mewtwo clenched his fists. "I highly doubt you'll be able to steal any of us, but if you insist on provoking my wrath, go ahead and try."  
  
The girl stared at him intensely. "Is that a promise?" she said as she tossed the two pokeballs to the ground. They released two odd-looking Dragonites. Both were roughly the same size and shape, but they had a more feral appearance that made them look like the actual dragons of myth and legend. Their scales were both ebony, and their eyes were a deep emerald green. Being familiar with pokemon, Mewtwo could tell that they looked exactly the same. Twins.   
  
A blue aura surrounded Mewtwo that made it seem like flames were emanating from him. "You think I'm worried about two Dragonites?"  
  
"Meet Ashley and Mary-Kate. The world's first Super-Dragonites, born and raised by Giovanni's finest." said the girl. "And I, Kayla, am their partner." she said, bowing melodramatically. That made Mewtwo pause. In terms of levels, Dragonites were roughly as powerful as Mew. So that means a Super-Dragonite...  
  
"Well, Mewtwo? What do you have to say now?" she said as she kneeled between her pokemon and rested her arms on their necks.  
  
Mewtwo remained as solid as stone. "Giovanni is still up to his old tricks. Trying to create the strongest weapon he can, and keep them under his thumb."  
  
Kayla giggled. "You had your chance to be the boss' prize pet, and you blew it. Now my girls and I are his strongest enforcers. And we'll prove it by making you our slave."  
  
It was Mewtwo's turn to be amused. "Even if you could manage to hit me with a pokeball, I will never be yours to command. Nobody has ever captured me, or my friends- and nobody ever will."  
  
Kayla stood up. "We'll just see about that. Get'm girls!" she yelled. Instantly, the two Super-Dragonites leaped forward and slammed into Mewtwo with a Double Tackle attack that sent them crashing beneath the waves. Kayla watched as the water buckled and exploded from a massive energy wave from Mewtwo, which sent the other two pokemon flying back onto the beach. Mewtwo leaped from the water onto the beach, holding his side where they had hit him, while the two S-Dragonites stood up, barely scratched by the attack.   
  
{They're strong...that hit broke my ribs.}  
  
"Okay girls, get ready for Alpha pattern!" said Kayla.  
  
{I'd better tell the super pokemon to leave before these two attack them. Individually, they are as strong as I am. Together...}  
  
Mewtwo dodged a swipe from one of the super pokemon. Mewtwo and the one super dragonite used Quick and Swift as they tried to hit each other. Mewtwo ran at super speed along his palace, leaping from point to point and avoiding the equally quick attacks from his opponent.  
  
{Why is only one of them...oh no!}. Just as Mewtwo realized what they were doing, his opponent managed to swipe him across the face, stunning him enough to leave him open to...  
  
"Mary Kate, Hyper Beam!" shouted Kayla. The other super pokemon charged up and unleashed a huge blast of rainbow-colored energy, which launched towards Mewtwo. Ashley leaped out of the area just as the blast slammed into Mewtwo's skull, causing him to black out instantly.   
  
"Got'm!" cheered Kayla. The two Dragonites roared victoriously as Mewtwo's body fell into the water.  
  
"That should keep him out long enough for us to complete Giovanni's mission." whispered Kayla. She looked up to see a horde of pokemon- Mewtwo's super pokemon- charge en masse from the palace. She shouted up to her two partners. "Come on girls! Let's round them up!"  
  
****  
  
[Flashback]  
  
Mew stood triumphantly as the Rhydon ran away from the superior pokemon. As the creature disappeared into the distance, the girl that was running from it came out of hiding, just as Mew fell to the ground and started 'mewing' from a wound on its head from where the Rhydon's charge hit him.  
  
"Oh....you're hurt." said the girl sweetly. Kneeling down, she picked up the little pokemon and carried him like a little baby doll to her home. It was a long trek, and all the while she was busy comforting Mew, who drifted in and out of conciousness. Finally, as the sun started to set, the girl reached her home. She walked inside, where her mother was waiting.  
  
"Joy! How many times do I have to tell you not to stay out...Oh my word!" shouted her mother. When she saw how the little girl's messed up dress, cut arms and legs, and skinned knees, she fell down before her and held her protectively as she looked her up and down. "Joy...what happened?"  
  
"A Rhydon tried to get me, momma. And this little guy protected me!" she cheered, holding up Mew.   
  
The mother looked at Mew with interest. "I've never seen a pokemon quite like this, before...well, give him to me and I'll put him over here in the study for now. Meanwhile, we have to take care of those owwies."  
  
"Aww, Mom...not the alcohol...."  
  
"Now you don't want to get an infection, Joy." the mother replied as she lay the sleeping pokemon in a small crib within the mother's office.  
  
****  
  
Mewtwo gasped for air as he surfaced. He dragged himself to shore and coughed up the water in his lungs. He tried to stand, but instantly fell forward again as dizziness struck him.  
  
{That 'Mary Kate' has a good shot...} thought Mewtwo as he tried to clear his mind. Slowly, he managed to call on his Recover ability, rejuvenating his body and getting rid of the pain in his head. After a moment of rest, he again tried to stand up, but this time he succeeded. Mewtwo looked up and saw smoke coming from the palace at various places. A battle had raged there during his period of unconciousness.  
  
{Oh no...the pokemon!}. Mewtwo leaped into the sky and zoomed into the palace, shouting out the names of the various pokemon. No one answered. Mewtwo ran to their sleeping room, and found all their pokeballs empty. He quickly checked the other locations in the palace, but they were nowhere to be found.  
  
{No bodies...that girl must have taken them...}. Mewtwo closed his eyes and felt grief pass through him. He had been unable to protect them, and now Giovanni had them.  
  
{...There's still time. They will not succumb to Giovanni's will easily. If I can get to them before that happens, I can free them before he uses them for his own evil purposes.} Mewtwo powered up for flight and took off for the distant land of Viridian City- the location of Giovanni and the labs where Mewtwo served him as his gym's most powerful pokemon.  
  
{I underestimated those two before...but now, Kayla...you and your twins will know how powerful I really am. You will know the power...of Mewtwo.}  



	3. III

  
(Deep in Mewtwo's memories...)  
  
Joy went into her mother's study and looked for the pokemon she had found. After a quick search, she found the creature inside the small crib her mother placed the smaller pokemon in before letting them roam in her storage pens. Joy stood on the tip of her toes to look inside the crib. Laying there peacefully was the little pink 'Mew' that had saved her life before, sleeping quietly as it regained its energy. As Joy watched him sleep, the little pokemon yawned and opened his eyes. He looked up at her and mewed happily when he saw her.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" the little girl asked. Mew nodded his head and floated out of the crib. Joy stared in awe at the little creature, and giggled when it crawled into her arms and purred happily. "Let's go outside. I'll introduce you to all the other pokemon." she said. Joy took Mew outside through the back door of their home.  
  
The home was very simplistic. It was made of logs and stone moved into the forest from the town a few miles down the road. Joy's mother helped a local professor try to catalogue and study all the pokemon they found in this region, so if she wanted to study them in their natural habitat, she had to get away from the town. With only 40 pokemon documented, and so many more to go, her mother hoped the pokemon she had managed to coax into her pens would add to the growing number of pokemon they knew about.  
  
Joy reached up and opened the latch on the gate for the pens. She went in and closed the gate behind her, and proceeded down the hill their house rested on to the grazing areas of the pokemon. Joy approached a lone Ponyta, who was eating peacefully next to the small watering hole in the pens.   
  
"This is Ponyta." said Joy. Mew looked at Ponyta and mewed happily to the pokemon. "Ponyta, this is Mew. He's going to live with us!" Ponyta neighed down at the new pokemon, and let Joy rub her flank while she returned to her grass.  
  
Mew felt like moving now, so he flew out of Joy's hands and let her lead the way to the other pokemon living here. Joy hopped along, introducing Mew to Pidgey, Butterfree, Oddish, Bulbasaur, and Nidoran. Mew greeted them each with a mew and a feline rub, to which most of them responded with an equal amount of friendliness. While Joy and Mew were playing around with the Nidoran, Joy's mother walked over and playfully ran over and tickled Joy, resulting in laughter from both of them.   
  
When Joy had leaped upon her mother, she conceded defeat. "Okay, I give up." she said. Joy giggled and got off her, letting her sit up. Joy sat next to her, and Mew flew around them playfully.   
  
"So did you see any new pokemon today Mommy?" asked Joy.  
  
"Nope, not today, but when I went to town for groceries I got something very interesting from Professor Sumac."  
  
"Ooh, what'd you get!" said Joy. Her mother pulled out a small bag, reached in, and pulled out a strange, round object that looked like a metal ball about an inch wide. It was red and white, and had a little button on it. Joy looked at it curiously, but chose not to touch it since she wasn't sure what it was. "What is it Mommy?"  
  
"It's called a 'pokeball'." she answered. She pressed the button on it, and the device expanded to become about as big as a baseball. Joy gasped, and her mother smiled at her amazement. "It's supposed to be able to hold a pokemon inside it."  
  
"...Wooow." Her mother offered the pokeball to her, which she took cautiously into her hands. She looked at it intently, but soon she showed her confusion. "But Mommy, why would they put a pokemon in here when they can fly and walk and stuff?"  
  
"Sometimes pokemon don't want to walk. They get tired like you and me, so if they want they can go inside these." she replied. "But it also is supposed to make catching them easier."  
  
"Oooh..." said Joy. She held it out to Mew, who sniffed it curiously. He recoiled somewhat, but slowly he approached it again and touched it with the tip of his nose. Suddenly, the ball opened and emitted a red light, which engulfed Mew and made him disappear. Joy screamed and dropped the ball as it made noises and vibrated. She looked around frantically for Mew, thinking she may have hurt him accidently with the ball.  
  
Her mother calmed her down. "Don't worry Joy. Your little friend is just in the ball. Watch, he'll come back out." Joy and her mother watched the ball shake around, before it opened up and revealed Mew in a flash of red light. Mew shook his body as if it were cold, then squeaked when it saw the ball on the ground. It dashed over to Joy and hid behind her, while Joy's mother picked up the ball.  
  
Joy held Mew tightly and rubbed his fur. "Are all pokemon going to be scared like that?"  
  
Her mother shook her head. "Once they get used to it, I'm sure they'll be fine. They can get out any time they want unless they're very tired or hurt, so they shouldn't feel too claustrophobic or anything."  
  
Joy seemed to understand. She returned her attention to Mew, whom had calmed down from the shock of its first time in a pokeball. Joy rubbed noses with Mew, and held him up before her. "Don't worry Mew. You don't have to go in those thingees if you don't want. You can fly around with me forever!" Mew purred happily and he playfully made a bubble appear over them and pop, bringing some more giggles from them both.  
  
****  
  
Giovanni looked at the gigantic viewscreen in his lab. Displayed for everyone in the lab to see was a large radar layout for the surrounding city, plus various other sensory data. Giovanni paced quietly behind a team of communication officers at computer terminals before the viewscreen, each with headsets on. Quietly, Giovanni rubbed his Persian's head as he sternly read the data on the screen. Suddenly, a green blip appeared and started steadily moving closer to the center of the radar.  
  
"Is that him?" Giovanni asked in a quiet voice.  
  
"Yes, sir. He's fifty miles away and closing." said one man.  
  
"ETA, five minutes." said a woman.  
  
Giovanni turned to another officer. "Order the gym security to maximum and secure the laboratory. Make sure the containment area is prepared."  
  
"Yes, sir." answered everyone. Giovanni nodded and they buzzed into action. While they prepared for Mewtwo's arrival, Giovanni went to the lab elevator and moved up to the main gym.  
  
"Yes...my creation has finally come home. And this time...he'll be house broken."  
  
****  
  
Mewtwo zoomed over the mountain range- the landform that reminded him of his first home...back when he was still Ancient Mew. Before he died...so long ago. Before a precious part of him was found and used by Giovanni as an instrument of war. Before he became a freak of nature like he was now.  
  
Mewtwo felt anger build up in his chest, and his psychic powers responded accordingly. His blue aura made a slight burst, as if gasoline had been poored on the fire within him, and he zoomed straight at a familiar prison from his past...Giovanni's gym.  
  
"Giovanni!!" yelled Mewtwo as he slammed through the roof of the sturdy building. Rubble fell around him as he landed in the center of the gym. He stood straight, showing off his power by letting his psychic energy hum around him. Mewtwo growled as he sensed the approach of several enemies from all directions.  
  
"Freeze!" shouted a man dressed in a black uniform with the Team Rocket emblem on it. He, along with eleven other men, held wicked-looking semi-automatic rifles pointed straight at Mewtwo. Behind them, a well-dressed man followed by a Persian calmly and confidently strolled up behind them.  
  
"...There you are." growled Mewtwo as he stared directly at Giovanni through glowing blue eyes. "You know why I'm here. Give my friends back."  
  
Giovanni chuckled. "Your 'friends'? Ha! As if you could ever have friends. Heh heh. The pokemon you refer to are hidden at one of my safehouses. If they don't hear a call from me in ten minutes, your 'friends' will be destroyed."  
  
Mewtwo's anger grew, causing the ground to reverberate like an impending earthquake from his growing psychic energy. "You have one last chance to escape alive Giovanni. I'm not interested in hurting any of you humans, but if you don't return the other Super-pokemon to me, I'll tear this place apart ...and anything that gets in my way will get the same treatment."  
  
Giovanni smiled. "While you may think that you can fight these men, even you can't stop more than a hundred bullets charging at you almost simultaneously." Mewtwo didn't answer, which only confirmed Giovanni's statement in his way of thinking. "The instant I say so, they will spray you full of lead."   
  
Mewtwo wasn't entirely sure if he could or couldn't dodge all of those bullets, but at the moment he was more concerned about finding his friends. For the moment, letting Giovanni talk while he probed his mind for the location of his friends was his best plan of action  
  
...nothing. Mewtwo sensed nothing...just a strange emptiness. Just like that girl...  
  
Mewtwo looked at Giovanni, trying to find the reason behind his power being blocked. On his person, Mewtwo saw something he didn't recall on Giovanni in their prior encounters...a small medallion with an odd design.   
  
{Damn...there must be something in there blocking my mind reading powers. He must have planned for this situation. That's not good...}  
  
Giovanni watched Mewtwo carefully for any quick movements, while his Persian companion growled menacingly at the other opponent. "You have two choices, pokemon. You can fight until your eventual destruction...or you can surrender peacefully to me and my scientists."  
  
Mewtwo twitched at the mention of 'scientists'. The idea of going back to being nothing more than a specimen for some madman's experiments was something that he couldn't bear. But with no way to read his mind, and no idea where the super-pokemon are being kept, Mewtwo was backed into a corner...  
  
"What's your answer?" said Giovanni.  
  
{Well...I guess this is it.} Mewtwo cut off his psychic power, and the blue flame surrounding him snapped off. The men slowly lowered their guns, but they remained ready for action in case Mewtwo tried something.  
  
"Alright Giovanni...I'll be your guinea pig again. But only if you let the other pokemon return to my island, safe and sound." Giovanni paused in thought, and weighed the issue carefully in his head.  
  
{What is he after...something isn't right here.}  
  
Finally, Giovanni nodded. "Very well. As long as you remain here, your "children" will remain safe. I give you my word."  
  
"Your word means nothing to me, but if you even look at them again I'll destroy you and everything with your name on it." said Mewtwo angrily.  
  
Giovanni rolled a simple pokeball out, which rolled to a halt in front of Mewtwo. The pokemon looked down at it, and felt a sickening feeling in his stomach at the sight of that...that cage.  
  
"Get in the ball." ordered Giovanni. Mewtwo gave him an angry glare, but he managed to contain his anger. No matter how repulsive this man was to him...he was the key to keeping his friends alive.  
  
Mewtwo reached out his trembling tail, and touched the pokeball. The ball opened, and Mewtwo closed his eyes as he was surrounded by the red light that drew him into the device. As the pokeball closed around him, he felt something that he had vowed never to feel again...he felt trapped.  
  
****  
  
Giovanni walked down the hallway to the secret laboratory, quietly chuckling at his success. It had taken a full year of planning and financing, but now, it looked like Mewtwo was ready to be tamed...and ready to make Giovanni the most powerful man in the world.  
  
"Sir." said a feminine voice. Giovanni turned around to see Kayla standing at attention.   
  
"Yes young lady, what is it?" replied the man. Giovanni continued to walk down the hall, and Kayla fell in step next to him.  
  
"Sir...congratulations on apprehending Mewtwo." she said.  
  
"It would be a lie to say I captured him alone. You are the one who got us the bargaining chips. You will be well payed for that."  
  
Kayla stepped in front of him. "Well...then you can give my girls the shot you promised them." Her eyes betrayed a deep worry in her...something Giovanni didn't expect from the cold, calculating agent he saw in her before.  
  
"Your pokemon will get the shot once it is ready." answered Giovanni. "Now that we have Mewtwo, the chemical can be extracted and studied, but it still will take some time, and your payment is low on my list of priorities."  
  
Kayla blocked Giovanni from continuing. "But sir...Ashley and Mary Kate aren't doing well. They've started having difficulty breathing...and I think their hearts are starting to fail. If they don't get the serum fast, they could-"  
  
"Silence!" ordered Giovanni. Instantly, Kayla stopped talking, and she struggled to keep her anger hidden. "As an agent of Team Rocket, you will obey my orders. Is that clear?"  
  
"...yes, sir." she answered.  
  
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to." Giovanni sidestepped Kayla and continued down the hallway into the laboratory. Kayla remained where she was, unable to move.  
  
{...My girls...I won't let you die. I'll get that serum...even if it's the last thing I do.}  
  
****  
  
Mewtwo felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu. The containment chamber they had prepared for him was outfitted with an armor-like suit that surrounded his body. It was connected to hundreds of little computers and machines, which served to divert and reduce his special powers to practically nothing. Added to this, the suit served as a straightjacket as well. It was reinforced metal that weighed a lot more than it should have, making it seem like a very small coffin to him. Combined with the thick chains that held the suit to the giant chair he was in, it would take a few bulldozers to free him.  
  
For the first few hours, the scientists did nothing but make sure he was secured. While Mewtwo watched the viewscreen that showed his fellow super-pokemon returning home, they worked feverishly on his restraints. Obviously they were familiar with his destructive actions at the lab where he was created, and this time they were taking no chances. They double-checked the computers, the suit, the chains over the suit, and the security around the lab in case someone tried to break in to help him (as unlikely as that was). Then, the scientists started their tests. They used electromagnetic scanners to read his mental output, his physiological state, and his general health. They seemed very impressed, but they weren't going to stop there.  
  
"Impressive containment system, isn't it?" said Giovanni as he stepped into Mewtwo's line of vision. Mewtwo payed him no heed. "I'm glad you agree. Even with your vaunted mental powers, you won't be able to escape even if you wanted to."  
  
Mewtwo looked down at him from his prison. "What is it you want with me, Giovanni. I've realized what it is that's been bugging me about your whole plan. That girl and her dragonites...they were super-clones."  
  
"Yes, that's true." confirmed Giovanni. "They were powerful...but barely a percent lower than your power level individually."  
  
"If you're capable of creating more super-clones, why do you need me? Those two dragonites are strong enough to satisfy even your selfish desire for power."  
  
Giovanni nodded. "Yes, yes indeed. They are powerful-almost your superiors- but they have one important flaw...just like the other super-pokemon I've created."  
  
"And what flaw is that?" asked Mewtwo.  
  
"They won't last long."  
  
Mewtwo looked at him intently. "...Their DNA is unstable."  
  
Giovanni smiled. "Exactly. The cloning process used to create the super-pokemon required many years of testing. In the end, we had only one last obstacle. Any cloned pokemon we created would live for a short time before dying from cellular degeneration- literally disintegrating from the inside out."  
  
Mewtwo remembered all too clearly what he meant. Before him, there were hundreds of Mew clones...all of whom had died horribly from heart failure, brain loss, and a dozen other ailments that occured because of this degeneration. After all the horrible genetic experiments they performed to try and find a way to stop it, he had been the end result.  
  
Giovanni continued. "In the end, we were ready to give up...until you were born. The scientists were amazed to find that out of all the other Mew clones, your DNA had mutated in response to the degeneration. In essence...your body fixed its own DNA."  
  
{...I forced myself to stay alive.}  
  
"Even to this day, we have no idea how to duplicate it. Apparently, there is only one way to "duplicate" it."  
  
Mewtwo finished the sentence. "...my blood."  
  
"Correct again. That is how you created your super-clones isn't it? Hmm...it must have been easier then. You only needed one blood cell, then they could grow on their own. Yes...trying to do the same to a clone already grown would require a lot more blood."  
  
"...What about those two super-dragonites?"  
  
Giovanni chuckled. "Those two are indeed very powerful. They were cloned from twin Dragonites that were born from that girl's original partner pokemon. They would have died from birth had they not been cloned by our scientists. Within this lab, we created them and trained them to fight you and your 'friends'."  
  
"...But how did they survive? Without my blood, they would be dead in minutes."  
  
"We have used Ditto fluid to create a temporary substitute." answered Giovanni. "It has kept them alive for a year now, but their bodies are beginning to reject the fluid."  
  
"...Which I'm sure you regret." said Mewtwo, knowing how evil Giovanni could be.  
  
"A minor loss. They and their master are useful, but replaceable."  
  
{...monster.}  
  
A scientist came up to Giovanni. "Sir, we're ready for the extraction."  
  
"Very good. Well, Mewtwo, it has been nice chatting with you, but now it's time for you to give back what is rightfully mine...your blood."  
  
{...I have to get out of here. If I let him have my blood, nothing will stop him from creating an army of clones that'll conquer the Earth. The question is...how.}  



	4. IV

  
Kayla paced back and forth in her room, constantly glancing over at the two pokeballs that held her two girls...the ones who had trained with her for a full year to combat the powerful Mewtwo. During that time, they had become extremely close...closer than Kayla thought possible. They were more like sisters than partners, since they each held a deep feeling of love for each other. They would never let the others down, and would always be there for them. But now...Kayla wasn't sure if she could save them from dying.  
  
"...I'm sorry girls. Giovanni hasn't given me the serum yet...and I have a feeling he never will." Kayla picked up the two pokeballs and stared down at them somberly. "I don't know how...but I have to get that serum for you. I don't care what it takes." Kayla clenched her fist around the two balls angrily. She put them into her pocket. "...Even if I have to face my fellow members of Team Rocket...not that I care about them."  
  
Kayla didn't move, despite her being hyped for battle. Something was stopping her. "The problem is, I don't know what I'm looking for. I know the serum involves Mewtwo somehow, but other than that Giovanni hasn't told me anything about it. If I start a riot, I don't have any guarantees on finding out how to make the serum. Unless..." Kayla pulled out a pokeball and opened it before her. It released a tough-looking Dugtrio that made a little hole in the ground so it could feel comfortable.  
  
"Dugtrio. I need you to get to the underground lab's power source and take it offline."  
  
"Trio!" answered the pokemon. It started to burrow its way down through the floor, slamming through granite and steel on its way to the hidden lab. Using Kayla's careful directions from above, the Dugtrio made its way to the power generator for the whole lab.  
  
"...Mewtwo. I may be helping you now...but if you can't help me, you'll die with my girls..."  
  
****  
  
Giovanni watched the monitor of Mewtwo's life signs. He knew that the pokemon was tough, but even he had limits. The drawing of blood was one of them. If they took too much, he could easily die, and then they would have lost their supplier. The job was tedious, but it also gave Giovanni a sense of satisfaction to watch Mewtwo be overcome with weakness.  
  
When the scientist stopped the draining procedure, Giovanni looked at the reservoir and smiled. "Excellent. With five pints, we can create an army of pokemon that will survive the cloning process, and become superior servants under my command."  
  
"But sir, the pokemon has been drained of nearly 56% of its total blood supply. Even with its enhanced stamina, it will take at least a month before it can be drained this way again."  
  
"So? Five pints should last us for five months. If you buffoons do the cloning correctly, then this blood supply should last quite a while."  
  
"Sir-" The scientist was interrupted by the room blacking out. All the computers and monitors shut off, and all but the emergency lights were turned off as well.   
  
"What's going on?! What happened to the power?" yelled Giovanni.  
  
"Something has destroyed our generator!" yelled a scientist.  
  
Mewtwo's eyes opened barely enough to see what was happening. {Now's my chance...while the confinement chamber is deactivated...} Mewtwo called on his psychic power, which hiccuped due to his weakened state. The blue spark that resulted alerted the humans in the room to his activity.   
  
Giovanni gasped fearfully. "He's awake! Reactivate the containment system!"  
  
"We can't sir! The back-up power can't handle-"  
  
"Do it! Before-"  
  
Mewtwo's power surged to life, and his bluish psychic energy exploded from his body, knocking Giovanni and the surrounding scientists off their feet. Mewtwo telekinetically broke the chains holding him down, and used all his telekinetic power to hold himself up. In his delirious state, he forgot that he was still clothed in the weighted containment suit that was used to dilute his powers and make it difficult for him to move. He fell to his knees when the last of the chains were torn from the floor and left dangling from the armor.  
  
"Fire! Destroy him!" shouted Giovanni as he and the scientists took cover. The soldiers in the room opened fire on Mewtwo. Most of the bullets missed him completely due to the poor lighting, while the rest bounced harmlessly off what was left of the containment suit.  
  
{I have to...get out of here!} Mewtwo blindly flew forward, slamming through super-computers and machinery littering the lab. Due to the dizziness induced by blood loss, Mewtwo wasn't sure if he was going up or down. Blindly he slammed into the vault entrance head first. Despite the protection offered by the containment suit, he was stunned into unconciousness and crashed through the walls into the main gym area, where one of the Team Rocket trainers was substituting for Giovanni in a pokemon match. Everyone in the room (including the pokemon battling- a Golem and a Wartortle) stared in shock at the strange figure on the ground.  
  
{Uhh...I've got to get up...but...so...weak.} Mewtwo gasped for air, and his body was covered in a cold sweat from the lack of blood. Mewtwo tried to get on his feet, but he could barely stand. He tried to remove the suit, but it wasn't affected by his telekinetic powers.  
  
The challenging trainer and the Team Rocket trainer gazed at the creature, and looked as another Team Rocket member came out and yelled at them to go away. Mewtwo looked up weakly, and saw the sillohuette of a young girl. She pulled out a pokeball, and threw it at Mewtwo just before he blacked out from exhaustion.  
  
****  
  
(Flashback scene)  
  
"Okay Mew. Let's try it again." said Joy. She paused, looking as if she had something to say on the tip of her tongue. She turned to her mother, who watched nearby with a sketchpad. "Mommy, do we really have to do this?"  
  
"I'm sorry Joy, but this is important to Mommy's work. Your little friend won't listen to me, so I need you to tell him what to do."  
  
"But Mommy, I don't want him to fight. Why does he have to fight? Can't he just play?"  
  
"Joy honey...after this last time, you and your friend can go play for the rest of the day."  
  
"You promise?" said Joy with big sad eyes.  
  
"I promise." answered her mother. "Cross my heart and hope to die."  
  
Joy smiled. "Okay!" She turned back to Mew, who was hovering next to her. "Is that okay with you?" Mew shook his head and flew playfully around Joy, who giggled and hugged him before he flew off to meet with Bulbasaur again.  
  
"Are you guys ready?"  
  
"Bulbasaur!" answered the grass pokemon. Mew mewed in agreement, and the two floated about ten feet apart and stood face-to-face in a battle-ready stance.  
  
"Okay! Ready..." The Bulbasaur crouched low to the ground, and Mew floated silently.  
  
"Set..." Mew powered up with his pink-colored energy, and Bulbasaur growled at the display.  
  
"Go!"  
  
Bulbasaur launched a Razor Leaf attack, which flew towards Mew. The attack was avoided by the flying pokemon and answered with a flying tackle that sent Bulbasaur rolling. Bulbasaur bounced back to his feet and hit Mew with a Vine Whip, which encircled him and gave Bulbasaur an open shot at the pink pokemon.  
  
Joy watched with fear and excitement at the same time, while her mother wrote rapid notes on her notepad. The two watched as Bulbasaur repeatedly slammed Mew into the dirt, which looked and sounded quite painful. Finally, Mew was fed up with it, and he unleashed a surge of energy that knocked Bulbasaur's vines away and freed him. Mew floated into the air to power up for an intense attack, while Bulbasaur did the same by collecting particles of light.  
  
"Amazing..." said Joy's mother. "Mew is tougher than he looks."  
  
"Go Mew!" cried Joy. "You can do it!"  
  
Bulbasaur finished gathering power, and he unleashed a devastating Solar Beam attack straight at Mew, while the pokemon let loose a powerful Hyper Beam. The two attacks collided, and they became locked in a sort of energy Tug-of-War. Bulbasaur and Mew's energies pushed back and forth, with neither side gaining the upper hand...until Mew's attack surged out, blasting through the Solar Beam and creating an explosion where Bulbasaur stood. The grass pokemon was launched into the air, and fell in a heap amongst the flames caused by Mew's attack.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Joy get back!" Joy's mother ran forward, scooped up Bulbasaur, and ran from the flames as they started to catch the surrounding grass. Seeing the fire, the other pokemon in the pen started to panic, and a general chaos filled them all. Mew tried his best to put out the fire with his Water Gun attack, but with the fire quickly spreading, it took his full concentration.  
  
Joy's mother stopped and looked at the panic, seeing the pokemon run wildly left and right. To her dismay, the Ponyta was heading straight for Joy, running blindly at top speed.  
  
"Joy!!"  
  
Joy screamed when she saw the equine pokemon charging straight towards her, but with her mother to far away, and Mew unaware of the situation, it didn't look good. "Mommy!!"  
  
"Nooooooo!!"  
  
****  
  
Mewtwo's eyes snapped open. "Joy!!!"  
  
Kayla jumped in surprise, nearly leaping over her chair at the same time. Mewtwo breathed heavily from the rush of adrenalin in his body, but slowly he realized that he had just dreamed again. Dreamed again of the memories of his life before...  
  
Kayla sat back down, while Mewtwo forced himself to sit up. He was lying on a fluffy couch, and strangely enough he was free of the containment suit. Kayla looked at the pokemon with silent caution. "I take it you had a bad dream?"  
  
Mewtwo sighed painfully. "Where am I?"  
  
"My house in Cerulean City." answered Kayla.  
  
"...Cerulean City? How..."  
  
"You've been asleep for a week. You should still be asleep. You're exhausted and missing a lot of blood."  
  
Mewtwo grunted painfully as he tried to stand. "Can't sleep...I must...stop Giovanni."  
  
Kayla pushed him in the chest, causing him to fall back to his sleeping position. You're staying here, and that's final." Mewtwo stared up at her angrily, but he was too tired to argue with her at the moment. Rather than do that, he decided to get some answers.  
  
"You were the one...back at the gym."  
  
Kayla nodded as she sat back down. "Yes. I captured you and brought you here."  
  
"...'Captured'?"  
  
"...Yes. I like to think that I captured you...even though we didn't actually fight."  
  
Mewtwo closed his eyes as he shook the lingering emotions of his nightmare from his mind. "Why did you bring me here?...You know you can't control me."  
  
"What makes you say that?" said Kayla. "I AM a Pokemon trainer- and a pretty good one too."  
  
Mewtwo didn't believe her, obviously. "Please...tell me why."  
  
Kayla paused in the conversation to take a seat in her chair. "...I need some information."  
  
"...About?"  
  
"The serum. Giovanni's serum. I need it."  
  
Mewtwo frowned. "Why."  
  
Kayla looked at him with sad eyes...eyes that instantly reminded him of the girl he just dreamed about. "I have to help my girls. They're dying. Since you've made your own super-pokemon, you must have the serum. Please, let me have it!"  
  
Mewtwo closed his eyes painfully as he struggled to prop his body up, so that he could see her while he lay down. "It's not that easy."  
  
"I'll do anything! Just ask! I don't care, as long as I get the serum!" Mewtwo looked at her pleading eyes, wondering if this was indeed the same girl he had seen on his island. Even though she had an evil side to her...she really cared for her pokemon.  
  
"...We must get to my island."  
  
Kayla couldn't help but smile for joy. "...Thank you. I can take you there...but you'll have to get in the pokeball again. You're too weak to fly, and we don't have much time." Mewtwo couldn't argue there. He hated it...but he had no choice at the moment. He knew Giovanni was looking for them, so one of the first places they'd look was Kayla's house. They had to get out of here, and soon.  
  
"Very well." answered Mewtwo weakly. Kayla held out an empty pokeball, and Mewtwo allowed himself to enter it. When he was secure, Kayla ran outside and headed for the docks to where her motorboat was kept. She leaped inside and turned on the engine. The boat zoomed off into the sea, making a beeline for New Island 2.  
  
****  
  
"Sir, we've identified the person that helped the pokemon escape. It's one of our agents."  
  
Giovanni looked up from his desk with an angry glare. "...Who?"  
  
The soldier gulped. "Her name is Kayla, s-sir."  
  
Giovanni clenched his fist and slammed the desk. "I want her found and dealt with! I want her and all the pokemon with her destroyed! Do you hear me?!"  
  
"Yes sir!" the soldier answered quickly. He ran off to spread the orders, while Giovanni sat back in his chair. His Persian purred curiously up at his master, and was met with a surprisingly calm smile.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not that mad my pet." he said as he petted his pokemon. "We still have the blood. We can still make an army of super-pokemon that will number in the hundreds. With all of them, nobody will be able to stop us."  
  
Giovanni leaned back and spun slowly in his chair. "Let them run. By the time Mewtwo is strong enough to fight again, we will have grown our army, and he'll meet his fate along with those two Dragonites." Giovanni laughed evilly, and his Persian did the same as they left the office for some well-earned rest.  
  
****  
  
Kayla walked silently up the marble stairs, listening to the echo of her footfalls. She had already seen this place before, but at the time she was busy capturing Mewtwo's super-pokemon. She hadn't been able to admire the sheer beauty of this place before.  
  
"Mewtwo sure knows how to build a home." said Kayla as she walked out to the balcony overlooking the gym outside. Kayla looked off over the sea, where the sun was setting on the western horizon.  
  
{What could he be doing down there...} thought Kayla. It had been several hours since Mewtwo had her give him the two pokeballs holding Mary-Kate and Ashley, so that he might give them the serum...or so he claimed. Kayla didn't think he would lie, but then again...he never did say he was going to give them anything. She doubted a monster like him could even be trusted.   
  
Kayla couldn't stand it any longer. She had to know what he was doing down there. Why did he not let her go down there with him? What was he hiding? Kayla ran down the steps to his lab, and cautiously approached the door. She carefully opened it, and peaked inside to see what was going on...and what she saw shocked her.  
  
The two Super-Dragonites were lying on medical tables, and each was hooked up to an IV tube. The IV carried blood into their bodies from the body of another body...Mewtwo's body. He was hooked up to both of them, and seemed to be barely concious. He was talking to another pokemon in the room- his Dragonite companion who served as a right-hand man. Dragonite was monitoring a machine that displayed the life signs of all three participants in the transfusion. The signs of the two girls were low, but steady, while Mewtwo's seemed more erratic. A strange blue glow surrounded Mewtwo- his psychic power, no doubt, but what was it doing?  
  
{I don't believe it...he can't handle another transfusion. One more pint lost would kill him. What is he doing? Why? He's letting himself die for them...}  
  
****  
  
Mewtwo struggled to keep his focus. Never before had he felt like this. The feeling of his life force slipping away. All that was keeping it there was his mind. He should have been dead...but he wouldn't allow that. Mewtwo had to stay alive...so that the blood transfusion can be finished. Just a little more...  
  
Dragonite telepathically informed Mewtwo that Mary-Kate and Ashley had been given enough blood for their bodies to adapt and replicate the necessary component to keep them alive, so he disconnected them from the purple pokemon. They remained asleep, which at this point was a good thing, since their bodies had to absorb the chemical in his blood before it is rejected. Mewtwo's entire body was numb, and it was only through sheer will that he kept his heart pumping...his brain moving...and his body functioning.  
  
{Dragonite. Begin the next transfusion.} Dragonite nodded and transfered some IV equipment into himself, which was painful but simple to do. He then plugged into Mewtwo's IV, and started transfering his own fluid into Mewtwo's body.   
  
Kayla watched in horror. {Now his Dragonite is giving him blood, but...Dragonite's blood won't work for Mewtwo. Pokemon can share blood with each other, as long as they have a good supply of their own... and Mewtwo doesn't have ANY blood.}  
  
Dragonite calmly lay on his own table while his blood entered Mewtwo's body. After several minutes of transfer, Mewtwo had about four pints of blood inside (about the bear minimum for his body). Dragonite unhooked the IV's and quickly returned the other two pokemon to their pokeballs. He quickly flew to a spot above the room, while Mewtwo started convulsing violently.  
  
Kayla gasped. {Oh my god...he's dying...}  
  
Suddenly, Mewtwo screamed with primal fury as he called on his psychic powers. He willed his body to Recover, and prayed that his power to heal would include the ability to make the blood in his body his type. He exhausted the last ounce of his energy (and shorted out all the electrical equipment in the room) as he collapsed on the floor.  
  
"Mewtwo!" screamed Kayla. She ran over to where the pokemon had falled, and the Dragonite did the same. He didn't seem to wonder why she was there, but he gave her back her pokeballs as he returned Mewtwo's body to the table. Dragonite checked his body for life signs.  
  
"...Is he alive?"  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
(A/N): Good question! I guess we'll find out next time if he is, and maybe someone can explain why he actually did that! Stay tuned... 


	5. V

Mewtwo didn't wake up after the transfer. Dragonite put him on life support in the lab, and prayed that Mewtwo's strength was enough to escape from the coma he had fallen victim too. His Dragonite kept constant vigil over his friend, monitoring his life signs for any change, and coming to his aid when his body began to grow weaker. Dragonite was a good caretaker, but he knew that much of this depended on Mewtwo. Only he could make himself wake up.

Mary-Kate and Ashley on the other hand, were much healthier. Thanks to Mewtwo's valiant (or foolish) sacrifice, the two had healed quite well, and in fact were stronger and faster than before. The degeneration evident in them earlier had halted completely, and was quickly disappearing as they healed and sparred on the beaches of Mewtwo's island with Kayla.

_It's amazing...even on day one they weren't this strong._ Kayla thought as she swam another lap along the beach. _It must be Mewtwo's blood that has them so charged up._ At the thought of Mewtwo, Kayla felt a pang of guilt. _Mewtwo...why did you do it? He had to have a reason. Nobody puts their life on the line for an enemy without a real good reason. But...I may never get to ask him if he doesn't get better._

Kayla climbed out of the water, and smiled comfortably as the sea breeze swept over her unshielded body. As she saw it, she was on an island several dozen miles away from any sign of human civilization, so why worry about peeping toms? With the hot sun and the nice breeze sweeping through the air, it was the perfect way to relieve her stress.

For several days she had been here on New Island 2. The resident Dragonite had shown her a place to stay while she was there- a comfortable bed inside a well-furnished room built with the island. Probably left over in the designs from the lab Mewtwo destroyed so long ago. Mewtwo probably didn't need a bed, Kayla thought, so why he kept rooms in the design was beyond her...unless he expected company when he built it.

Kayla spotted Dragonite walking through the main lab up above them through the large window. Wondering if he had some information on Mewtwo's condition, she grabbed her clothes and hastily put them on as she ran back inside. She ran up the steps and cut off Dragonite as he started walking down the steps to the medical lab. "Is Mewtwo any better?" asked Kayla. Dragonite shook his head and continued down the steps. Kayla, not satisfied with that answer, followed Mewtwo's aide.

The room wasn't a pretty sight- particularly the spot where Mewtwo was. The lab itself was still in shambles from Mewtwo's explosive attempt at Recovery from before. The only light source in this dark room was from a large stain glass window in the ceiling that depicted a white-robed angel flying over the clouds. The multi-colored light fell upon the comatose body of Mewtwo. He was hooked into several machines, including an IV and a breathing apparatus, and covered with a dirty old blanket that probably was taken from some unsuspecting fisherman. All in all, Kayla thought that the mighty Mewtwo she was taught to hate and fear looked fairly pathetic at the moment...and at the same time, kind of innocent.

_I always imagined what it would look like when Mewtwo was at my mercy. Never did I expect it to be like this though._ Kayla watched as Dragonite replaced the empty IV bag with a full one, and checked to see if the breathing apparatus and monitoring equipment were working. _...Mewtwo, why? Why did you do it? Why couldn't you have told me the cost for the cure my girls needed? I may be an agent of Team Rocket, but even I wouldn't let you undergo such torture._

"...Dragonite?" whispered Kayla. The pokemon looked up at her briefly, then returned to his maintenance work. 

"You seem to know Mewtwo fairly well." Dragonite nodded.

"Then maybe you can tell me. Why would he do something like this?"

Dragonite looked at her intensly, as if to look for something in her expression. Kayla simply stared back, showing grim determination as she always did in the face of opposition. Soon, Dragonite seemed to find what he was looking for, and stepped over next to her. Dragonite reached up, and placed his hands on her head. Suddenly, Kayla was engulfed in a white light, and everything started to change.

_What's happening? What's he doing to me?!_ When the environment around her reformed into what appeared to be the outside of a simple church, Kayla began to understand what was going on.

_Glimpses of Mewtwo's past? Why am I at a church? Only one way to find out I guess..._ Kayla readied herself for the worst and entered the church.

****

The funeral for Joy had been one of the saddest occasions to ever occur in the town. People died all the time, but rarely were they so young and innocent. It was a dark day for the people of Pallet Town...particularly for the mother of the child, Sara. During the sermon, she was in a state of shock. Her eyes were dry, but her face was weighed down by a cloud of sadness unlike anything anyone had ever seen on the young scientist. Friends and family at the funeral later tried to comfort her, but nothing seemed to work. Sara, once filled with spirit, seemed lost. When the funeral was completed, she walked home alone. It's not that she told anyone to leave her alone, but the people of the town thought it best that she be allowed to sort out the feelings within her. That was something she had to do alone.

When the former mother arrived home, she solemnly sat on her bed and stared into nothingness. Her eyes were starting to run with tears, but she seemed calm at the same time. Her emotions were non-existent. It was as if her very soul had completely vanished. Her mind knew she had to weep, but her heart seemed unable to grieve. All she could do was sit silently.

Mew peaked his head around the doorway, and looked sadly up into her face. She paid no attention to the little pokemon that slowly floated into the room. He softly mewed to her, hoping to try and bring back the kind smile he had seen her with before. Unfortunately, just the opposite happened. She looked down at Mew, and her eyes began to focus with anger on him. Suddenly, tears flooded from her face as if the dam had been broken. She screamed with rage and raised her fists threateningly towards Mew, which made the pokemon back off.

"Why?!" she shrieked. "Why?! WHY?!!" She fell to her knees and slammed the wooden floor as she cried her lungs out. Mew was overcome with feeling at the display of emotion, and he too began to sob. For a while, they just sat together and cried their hearts out, oblivious to everything but their pain. Slowly, they regained control of themselves, but the pain remained strong.

Sara swiped a balled fist at Mew, which sent the little pokemon rolling across the floor. "You monster! All of your kind are monsters!" she screamed. "If it weren't for you, Joy would still be alive!" She looked down at the trembling creature, who did nothing to react to her anger. All it did was gaze into her eyes with the same kind of pain that she herself held within her. Almost as if... this pokemon felt the same feelings as her. She looked down at her own hands, wondering what had possessed them to do that...what had possessed _her_ to do that. She crawled over to where the pokemon was, and lifted its trembling body into her arms and held him tightly like a soft teddy bear.

"I'm sorry...please don't leave me." she pleaded as she shed her tears. "Don't leave me..."

_I won't..._

"Why...why did she have to die..."

_...I'm sorry, Joy. I failed you...I promise I'll never let it happen again._

Nobody under my wing will ever die without a fight. I promise...

****

Kayla blinked her eyes as she felt herself return to normal. Dragonite removed his hands from her head and opened his own eyes. Dragonite seemed as calm as before, while Kayla had to take a few moments to recollect her thoughts.

_That was too weird. It felt like I was actually in Mew's...err, Mewtwo's thoughts._ Kayla shook the cobwebs out of her mind. _If what I saw was true...then Mewtwo did it because he felt like he had to do it._

"...He feels like he's responsible for my girls?" asked Kayla. "He felt responsible for them...like an older brother." Dragonite nodded and affectionately patted Mewtwo's forehead once more before leaving the lab and Kayla.

_He's the first Super-Pokemon...and possibly the strongest one. I guess he thinks he has to protect the others. Like when I attacked his island..._

Kayla suddenly felt sick to her stomach. When she took Giovanni's mission, she knew she would face Mewtwo. She knew he was the most powerful pokemon alive...but Giovanni led her to believe he was a cold, heartless monster. What she had just seen and heard were not the thoughts of a monster...more like the thoughts of a mother. She was willing to fight Mewtwo ruthlessly and steal his friends away because she thought that they were his slaves like that of a ruthless trainer. Never did she think that Mewtwo had feelings...feelings of compassion.

_No...what have I done? Why didn't I see it before? Hmph, I know why. Because I was so happy at the chance to face Mewtwo and show Giovanni and Team Rocket I wasn't some rookie. I was blinded by my mission...and I may have destroyed what chances there were at stopping Giovanni._

Kayla watched Mewtwo's chest move up and down as he breathed silently, his feline face in a picture of peace she had never seen on him before. The mighty Mewtwo...looking like an innocent little baby.

"...Forgive me, Mewtwo. If only I had known...I would have never hurt you or your friends. It's all my fault this is happening. It's all my fault for believing that lunatic Giovanni could make me a better trainer by joining Team Rocket." Kayla knelt down beside Mewtwo and looked at his sleeping face. 

"...I'm sorry."

****

Days passed. Mewtwo's condition hadn't changed, which worried Kayla greatly. Time was ticking away, and if Mewtwo didn't wake up soon, it would be just Kayla and her girls against an army- a fight which they may not win.

In case that were to happen, Kayla trained with her girls every day. Her girls ran drills designed to speed up their reflexes and toughen up their bodies. The two super-dragonites sparred against each other, and Kayla herself worked herself tirelessly to strengthen her body and mind in anticipation. They worked harder than they ever had before.

When they weren't training, Kayla let the girls rest in their pokeballs, since they were usually way too tired to play around afterwards. That was okay by her, since she wasn't playing around either. Usually, she was helping Mewtwo's aide, the Dragonite, with his daily chores. She helped him take care of the other super-pokemon, and Kayla got to know them really well (well, as far as human trainers could anyway). They were skiddish around her, especially since she was their captor just a week before. Slowly, however, she gained their trust. They would let her play with them, and she could even feed them.

Every night before she went to sleep, she visited Mewtwo's room. As a trainer, she felt responsible for him. He was a pokemon- a powerful, intelligent, almost human-like pokemon, but a pokemon none the less. She would make sure he was sleeping comfortably, check his IV and breather, and even give him a pokemon massage like she had learned a while back. Supposedly it helped the healing process and gave the pokemon a power boost as well. Kayla thought that anything was worth a try. Besides...giving Mewtwo a massage while he rested wasn't all that bad a chore. It was like petting a cuddly kitten while it slept. It was so similar, that Kayla could have sworn that she heard Mewtwo purring in his sleep when she massaged him last.

"Well Mewtwo, all I can say is you'll be feeling a _lot_ better when you wake up." said Kayla as she finished the massage. "It's the least I could do for you, since you saved Mary-Kate and Ashley." Kayla turned to leave, but paused midway as a thought struck her mind. She turned back around and looked down at Mewtwo's face, as she had so many times before. She cautiously extended a hand outward and softly ran her fingers through the fur on his face. She lightly touched the tip of his nose, before letting her hand drop back to the side of her body.

"...To think, you're the most fearsome pokemon on the planet." she whispered. "Watching you sleep here, helpless like a newborn...shows me the other side of you." Kayla smiled fondly. "Good night Mewtwo. Sleep well." she whispered. The trainer walked off, her footsteps echoing through the lab as she ascended the steps and closed the door behind her.

****

Kayla slowly opened her eyes, and was instantly met with a beam of light shining straight on her face. She blinked and shielded her eyes from the annoying light and looked at her watch. It was about half past six- just about sunrise. She stood up and stretched her arms out as she greeted the morning. She took her time in dressing before walking through the halls towards where Mewtwo was resting. 

Suddenly, Dragonite rushed out of the basement with a panicked look. She ran over to Dragonite. "What is it? What's the matter?" Dragonite motioned her to follow him, which she did. Leading her into the basement, she saw what had him so worried- Mewtwo wasn't there!

_Oh no..._ Kayla rushed up through the main lab and the hallways inside. Nothing.

_Where could he be?_ Suddenly, an explosion in the waves sent a shower of water into the sky and outwards, as if Moses was parting the Red Sea right on this island. Kayla looked outside the large window overlooking the gym and beach to find the source of that explosion. On the beach, a single figure stood, watched the waves crash back to Earth as he created another ball of blue energy in his odd-shaped hand.

Kayla gasped and ran outside, followed quickly by Dragonite. The two of them ran down the beach, watching as the feline figure threw the ball towards the waves, causing them to part as it fought against the weight of all the water and tide. The ball exploded about thirty feet away from the foreshore, causing another geyser of water to shoot into the sky, showering everything within fifty feet with droplets of sea water. The figure breathed heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He turned to them slowly as the water again returned to its original form.

"Mewtwo...you're awake!" Kayla cried.

Mewtwo nodded his head and wiped beads of sweat from his brow. "Yes...*huff* I appologize for not *huff* warning you, but the situation *huff* required immediate action."

Kayla felt a rush of joy in her heart, knowing that Mewtwo was going to be okay. "Mewtwo...please, you have to rest. Look at yourself. You've been living off of IV's for four days now. Your body is exhausted from trying to heal itself."

Mewtwo turned back to the water and held his hand up as he powered up another ball of energy. "I have to get back in peak condition before Giovanni's plan is completed." he said. He tossed the ball of energy with all his might, creating another geyser of water that showered the beach with spray. "Besides...*huff* why do you care?"

"Well, um...you _did_ save my girls. So I owe you one."

"...You don't owe me anything." Mewtwo lifted his arm again to create yet another ball of energy, but this time Kayla grabbed it.

"Please, Mewtwo. The best way for a pokemon to get health back is to eat a good meal and rest. At least for one day." Dragonite nodded in agreement. Mewtwo looked back and forth between the two.

"Very well. I suppose you're right. Sometimes I forget that I'm still a pokemon at heart." said Mewtwo.

"Good." said Kayla. "You wait here, and I'll get us some fruit for breakfast." As Dragonite and Kayla went to gather some food from the island's caches, Mewtwo watched the tide roll in and out.

"Oh, and Kayla." said Mewtwo without turning around. "Thanks... for being there."

Kayla looked at him with surprise. "How did you..."

"You've paid your debt many times over...especially with those _really nice_ massages."

Kayla felt herself turn red with embarassment. "Oh...you like those? They say they make a pokemon feel good."

Mewtwo chuckled. "I'd have to agree there." He returned to his silent reflection, while Kayla went to get breakfast.


	6. VI

Mewtwo's recovery proceded smoothly, thanks to Kayla and Dragonite's expert hands. Between the two of them, they helped Mewtwo regain his strength within a few days, when normally it would have taken almost two weeks to recover from such a traumatic experience. Mewtwo was amazed at just how knowledgeable she was about pokémon health. Specifically, he was amazed at how much she knew about him. She knew almost as much about his anatomy as he did. It made sense, since she was supposed to capture him, but Mewtwo never knew Giovanni had access to that much information even after destroying the lab where he was created. He was well prepared it seemed. Mewtwo would be sure not to underestimate him.

When Mewtwo was finally at full strength, they made ready for combat. Mewtwo had a rough idea of how long it would take them to make a clone, but he didn't know how large or advanced their facilities were. Kayla agreed that it would be best to destroy the lab (and Giovanni's supply of Mewtwo's blood) quickly, before too many clones were made. Mewtwo made way for Viridian City to acquire information on where the lab would be, while Kayla and her two Super-Dragonites flew to Cerulean City, where she would stock up on supplies before they enter the fight.

When he arrived, it was a simple matter for Mewtwo to scan the minds of the various scientists present without them knowing, but there was a problem. Out of the twenty scientists working to restore the lab below the Viridian City Gym, only the leader knew where the lab was, and he was shielded like Giovanni was earlier. It wasn't too difficult to catch the scientist without alerting anyone else. From his mind he learned the coordinates of the lab, but not the name or appearance of the location. After changing the memories of the scientist so he didn't remember the attack, Mewtwo returned to Kayla's home under the cover of night.

---------------

Kayla's House

8:22 PM

---------------

"So where do we go from here?" said Kayla as she filled up an old backpack of hers with potions and antidotes. "We have a lead, which could be wrong for all we know. Giovanni wouldn't tell his scientists the real location unless he expected them to get there."

"The cloning machine on my island was fully automated for the most part. All you really needed was one person to activate the machine and input any necessary commands, and the machine would do the rest. It may be a trap of some kind, but for the moment it's all we can do." 

Mewtwo paced the room slowly, glancing every now and then at the pictures on the tables. Most of them were of a young girl just reaching her teens, along with a middle-aged man. The two were usually in happy poses, giving "V for victory" signs or hugging each other for the camera. Mewtwo picked up one of the pictures, in which the girl was riding the man's shoulders and holding a balloon of an American cartoon character named Mickey Mouse. "Who is this man, Kayla?"

Kayla looked up, and frowned at the sight of the picture. "That's my father, five years ago. We went to America and saw Disneyland to celebrate my entrance into Pokémon Technical via scholarship."

"They asked you to enter?" Mewtwo said with amazement.

"...Yeah. I was a prodigy. My first pokémon actually came to me. Almost like fate."

"What do you mean?"

Kayla looked off into space as she remembered her past. "I was out playing one day, wandering through the forests between Cerulean City and Pewter City. I went deep into the forest, against my father's wishes. I found a hidden well that led deep into the ground to an underwater cave. Inside, I found a nest with a very large egg in it. Being a little girl, I couldn't help but touch it, even though I knew it was unsafe. Of course, it was guarded...by an old Dratini."

"Dratini..."

"For ten years, we were partners. Under my training she became a Dragonite rather quickly, since we took all the hard battles, and never gave up. We trained harder than anyone we knew. I could sense what a pokémon was thinking. I knew what they would do before they did it, and I knew just what was wrong with my pokémon when they weren't doing well. Thanks to that talent, Dratini and I had a perfect record. I was the best in Pokémon Technical for all age groups."

"Perhaps you're psychic." Mewtwo said. "It's not unheard of. Many trainers have some level of empathy with pokémon. Besides, you are a very skilled trainer."

"I suppose. At any rate, we were a perfect team. One day though...she ran away from me during the night. I searched everywhere for her, with the help of several other trainers at the school. After several days, when we were just about to give up, we found her in a make-shift nest. She was..." Kayla seemed unable to continue as the weight of memories long buried began to surface again.

"...I'm sorry. I know how it feels to lose a loved one...even if I don't look like the kind to have loved ones."

Kayla smiled as she tried to retain her composure. "It's okay. She had a long life. And besides, she didn't leave me completely alone..." Kayla pulled out two pokéballs from her pocket. "She left me an egg."

Mewtwo sat down on the floor opposite her. "That's why you feel so attached to them. You've been with them their whole lives."

Kayla nodded slowly. "We have a bond. Even though I'm obviously human, they consider me their mother, and I consider them my daughters...my little girls. We'd do anything for each other. They're strong like their mother..."

"...They're strong like their trainer. Even if they weren't super-pokémon, they have heart like you. Nothing can stop a pokémon if they have a trainer who would do anything for them." Mewtwo stood up. "You should get some sleep. Tomorrow, the fight will start."

"Not yet." said Kayla as she resumed her packing. "Tell me a story while I finish packing."

"A story?" Mewtwo answered with mild surprise. "I'm not much of a storyteller...or a talker for that matter."

"Please?" said Kayla with big, sad eyes. Mewtwo struggled against the raw, unstoppable power of the puppy-dog eyes, but eventually he was forced to submit.

"...Fine. What kind of story?"

"Tell me about what happened to Sara and Mew after the little girl died."

Mewtwo looked at her with a hint of anger. "...How do you know about them."

"I asked your Dragonite a question, and he showed them to me."

Mewtwo frowned, but didn't ask about what she was asking him, and instead started talking. "Sara and Mew learned to live life after Joy's death. Although it was tough at first, they learned to rely on each other's strength. They continued where they had left off- Sara continued watching and studying pokémon, while Mew helped her and protected her, without using his powers. Between the two of them, they were able to catalogue fifty new pokémon by themselves. Sara became a famous part of the scientific community with her knowledge of pokémon behavior and lifestyle."

Kayla listened intently, while Mewtwo started to pace some.

"Nobody knew about Mew. Sara was careful to keep him a secret, for a simple reason- fear. She knew that many money-hungry businessmen were looking to use pokémon for some new sport in which they fought each other for their human trainers. If word ever got out about Mew, Sara knew that a lot of pokémon and people could get hurt. She knew Mew wasn't malicious, but the little guy had more power than he knew what to do with. Besides, he hated fighting anyone unless it was in defense of a friend."

"'He' hated? Aren't you guys-"

"Are you going to listen or not?" said Mewtwo angrily. Kayla silenced, and Mewtwo lay down on the couch he would be sleeping on. "One day, when Sara had reached the ripe old age of ninety-five, she had a long talk with Mew. She knew her time was coming soon, and thus she wanted him to leave human lands. Once she was gone, she could no longer hide him from the outside world, and he might get caught or taken by someone- something she definitely didn't want to happen. Needless to say, Mew was uncooperative. He refused to leave, even when she tried threatening him with a broomstick. Mew had grown far too attached to her. Sara was truly touched by Mew's devotion, and in the end she realized she didn't want him to leave anyway. She wanted him to be with her until the day she died. Mew indeed was there until that fateful day...when she went to sleep, and didn't wake up the next morning."

"Mew knew she was old, and understood that humans someday had to die like pokémon did... but that didn't mean he liked it. He felt alone...lost. Keeping in mind her wishes, Mew freed all the pokémon she had kept in her pens. When that was done, he made one last good-bye to his home and flew as far and as fast as he could- all the while crying as he cursed the world for being so mean."

"...Mewtwo."

"After flying all day and night, the weary and depressed Mew found himself in a strange jungle. It was hot and balmy, with no signs of civilization in sight. Pokémon could be seen all over the place. The beauty of this surreal landscape was so awe-inspiring, that Mew wondered if somehow he had gone to Heaven and not even realized it. In any case, Mew decided that this was as good a place as any to hide from the world and live out the rest of his days. Many decades later...a team of scientists would come. They would come across a place deep in the South American jungles. In this place, pictures of the pokémon abounded, along with odd depictions of human-looking beings in various activities. The scientists would conclude that this was the site of worship of some ancient pokémon that no longer existed, or so they guessed."

"Nobody would ever learn the truth behind Mew's past, and his time with a girl named Joy, and a mother named Sara. From them, Mew learned all there was to know about love and happiness, as well as sadness and death. For the happy little pokémon, meeting humans was both the greatest and worst thing to happen to him."

Kayla pulled her knees closer to her and leaned her chin on them. "So is that why you stay away from humans? Why you don't help humans like other pokémon do?"

"...It was the reason I started that way. Those feelings would have gone away eventually, if it weren't for Giovanni. He taught me to hate humans with a passion."

"But what about Mew? You have his memories...how could you have learned to hate humans so easily?"

Mewtwo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mew's memories have come to me in flashes. In the very beginning, all I could see of my past were glimpses of a pool...lots of water. Possibly the place of my birth. I knew nothing of my past, except that I had been alive before."

Kayla looked at him sadly. "Then all you've known in this life is what Giovanni has forced upon you? All this pain...all the hiding?"

Mewtwo nodded, already half asleep. "Recently, the flashes have been getting stronger- ever since my battle on New Island, when another Mew showed me the truth about humans and pokémon. I've slowly been remembering my past, but so far the only things I remember... are with Joy and Sara. They're the only family I've ever known."

"...You don't know where you're from? Who your real family was?"

Mewtwo yawned and rolled over on the couch methodically. "...No."

Kayla looked over at the picture of her father and her that Mewtwo was looking at earlier. "I hope that someday...you find your past. Don't you?...Mewtwo?" Kayla looked to see the pokémon already sleeping soundly. Kayla smiled and decided to go to sleep herself. She stood up and walked to her room, saying over her shoulder "Good night Mewtwo."

"...*mew*."

****

Mewtwo scanned the horizon ahead, while Kayla followed on the back of one of her Dragonites. Up ahead, Mewtwo could just make out an island with a large facility built on it. There was no dock or beach, but there was a helicopter-landing platform within the facility.

"There's the lab." said Mewtwo matter-of-factly. With a burst of speed, he reached the island in seconds, with Kayla close behind. When they landed on the island, they were surprised to find that much of it was in ruins. Smoke arose from the various buildings as fires started dying down. Not a single sign of life could be found.

"Looks like someone stopped the army for us." Kayla said quietly.

"Let's start looking around." said Mewtwo. The two split up and checked around the various facilities, looking for the main lab. After much searching, it was obvious that a great battle took place here, with plenty of scorch marks from energy attacks. Neither of them found any survivors, but Kayla managed to find the command facility. When they regrouped there, they searched the main computer. Kayla punched some commands, and the view screen displayed some data concerning the cloning machine's current status.

"It looks like the cloning machine was destroyed in the fight." said Kayla as she punched up some new data on the screen. "All that's left is the computer."

Mewtwo looked at the data intently. "According to this, only one super-pokémon was made during the test run, and apparently the machine wasn't used after that. That pokémon must have destroyed the lab. Guess all of us have a bit of a control problem."

"This data says that your blood and the pokémon's DNA were spliced with several experimental Power-ups to increase the strength of the super-clone. Unfortunately, this also gave the clone a much meaner disposition. A dog with rabies is probably nicer than this thing."

Mewtwo frowned. "Good old Giovanni. Always trying to make the ultimate weapon, while ignoring the dangers that come with it. What pokémon was cloned before it destroyed the lab?"

Kayla punched in a few more commands, which brought up a new screen depicting a pokémon and some statistical data. "It's a Ditto!"

Mewtwo frowned. "...That means this is basically a super-pokémon of all types."

"Ditto's are only good if they know what they're transforming into, so normally they aren't too dangerous. However..."

"A Super-Ditto will have higher intelligence, and thus have the skills necessary to transform into any pokémon with ease...or any-_thing_ with ease. Hmm...Giovanni probably planned this, but he wasn't prepared for the level of this thing's intelligence or power I bet."

Kayla looked at the data once more, and highlighted a specific section on the screen. "The Super-Ditto has a flaw in its design."

"What flaw?" asked Mewtwo.

"Like the normal Ditto, it possesses low energy when compared to other pokémon. So even though it can use the powers of any pokémon it transforms into, they run out of energy quickly."

Mewtwo nodded slowly. "Then we have a chance. If we can make it waste its energy...we have to find it as soon as possible. If this clone is as temperamental as you say, then the first sign of a city could set it off."

"Alright. We'd better destroy the rest of this lab first." Kayla suggested.

"I agree." Mewtwo exited the lab and floated into the air, while Kayla did the same on the back of Ashley. Kayla watched as Mewtwo gathered his energy into a giant bubble of energy over his head, which crackled with blue and black lightning. Mewtwo guided the bubble to the island below, and watched as the energy ball exploded on contact with the earth. The island itself was scorched beyond recognition, and for a moment they were all deafened by the sheer intensity of the explosion.

__

My god… Kayla thought as Mewtwo flew towards the closest city, with her following on Ashley. _If Mewtwo is that strong…how strong will this Super-Ditto be…especially when it can turn into him and still have the mind of a mad dog?_

Meanwhile, Mewtwo's own thoughts spun through his mind. _Ever since my memories have started coming back…I've hated the idea of killing. But now…can I do it? Can I protect Kayla and still fight this thing? Can I kill something that is like my brother?_

Imperceptibly, Mewtwo whispered a heart-felt prayer. "Whoever lives up there in Heaven, I don't know if you listen to pokémon, but if you do…please help me protect the humans…especially Kayla. Keep them safe from harm."

__

Amen…


	7. VII

Mewtwo looked up from his silent reflection as a city came into view. Despite it being nighttime, the buildings were easily visible thanks to the flashing lights on them. Mewtwo was able to sense thousands of people living there…way too many potential victims for this runaway monster.

"Neon Town…" said Kayla from the back of Ashley.

"Just our luck. It picked the most populated city around." Mewtwo muttered. He halted in mid-air, as did the Super-Dragonite. "We must do this quickly. Super-Ditto is getting stronger by the minute."

"How do we find it?" said Kayla as she looked around. An explosion sounded down below, and screaming could be heard as hundreds of people fled from the source of the danger.

"Checking that out is probably a good start." Mewtwo and Ashley landed in the middle of the street, while Kayla pulled out Mary-Kate's pokéball and let her out. The three super-pokémon looked in awe at the source of the explosion- a massive blob of black goop and slime with small pinpricks of evil red light that served as eyes. The creature turned towards them and looked at them with an evil glare.

"Ditto, stop this!" yelled Kayla in a forceful tone. "You're hurting these innocent people! You don't want that do you?" The Ditto responded with a strange glooping sound that seemed to be a laugh, and started to reform into the shape of a large Golem, also with bright red eyes.

Mewtwo and the twins stood poised for battle. "Luckily, the people are clearing out quickly. Be sure to stay clear Kayla."

"Are you kidding? I know what I'm doing." Kayla retorted. "Girls, double team him!" Instantly, the two Super-Dragonites charged forward at high speed with a synchronized Tackle attack that slammed into the enemy pokémon. The "Golem" stumbled back a few steps, but seemed otherwise unaffected- not even a scratch on its rocky hide.

Mewtwo powered up and charged forward. "Remember, try to make it waste energy! Once it runs out it can't transform or use its attacks!"

"Right!" yelled Kayla. "Girls, Dragon Breath now!" she cried. 

The transformed Ditto smiled gleefully and reacted quickly with a transformation into another pokémon- this time a Cloyster, which quickly performed Withdraw before the metamorphosis was even completed. By the time the two Dragon Breaths were unleashed, the Ditto/Cloyster was safely inside its shell, which withstood the two attacks with frightening ease. The creature opened up its shell, but was instantly met with a ball of blue energy that slammed into the creature, sending it flying down the street through the vehicles still parked in the area.

Mewtwo crossed his arms at the wrist and called on his powers. Mewtwo felt the world slow down around him, and he ran forward at high speed straight to where the Ditto crashed. When he got there, he was met with a red-eyed Hitmonlee who punched and kicked faster than even the normal pokémon could. Mewtwo's speed was barely enough for him to block and dodge the attacks.

"Ashley! Mary-Kate! Use your Agility and get in there!" The two obeyed, and after a quick power-up, the Super-Dragonites dashed forward and swiped at the Ditto/Hitmonlee mercilessly. Even with three super-pokémon on one, the Super-Ditto was able to avoid their attacks thanks to the speed of Hitmonlee.

"Triple shot on three!" Mewtwo said quickly, leaping backwards and gathering power in his hand. "1-2-3, now!" Mary-Kate, Ashley and Mewtwo all unleashed a Fire Blast at the same time, which was weaker than a Hyper Beam, but a fast enough attack that even the quick Ditto/Hitmonlee couldn't avoid completely. The attacks exploded into Ditto, which shattered the concrete of Neon Town's Main Street and blew off several chunks of buildings lining the road. The flashy explosion soon ended, and they were once again able to see. Much to their surprise, their enemy wasn't there.

"Is he gone?" said Kayla cautiously.

"…I'm not sure. We'd better look around." Mewtwo said. "The twins should take the air."

"I'll take the sewer." Kayla said. She pulled out another pokéball. "Come on out Muk!" The pokéball opened up to reveal a large Muk, who sat before its master. "Muk and I can deal with it."

Mewtwo shrugged. "Okay. I guess I'll take the streets."

"Be careful." Kayla warned. She went down into the sewers through a manhole, while Mewtwo ran down the streets and the girls flew into the sky above.

Mewtwo strolled down the ruined street, carefully examining every detail for some clue. He looked up and down until gaze fell on a strange set of tracks leading into an alleyway. On careful inspection, long, thin feet made the tracks with low weight on them- like that of a Hitmonlee. Mewtwo sniffed the air, and was met with thousands of different smells at the same time, each more disgusting than the last. He cringed visibly, and decided that it was not a good idea to do that again.

Mewtwo's sensitive ears picked up a strange gust of wind from down the way. He ran to the source, and found a young woman struggling to get help. Her hand was outstretched, as if she were expecting someone to guide her. Mewtwo noticed she was blind, and nearby was a leash with no owner- probably for a Seeing Eye Growlithe. Mewtwo found this just a little suspicious- a young blind woman wandering the streets at night, when everyone had just panicked. He knew Super-Ditto was smart, but was he able to portray a blind woman?

"Excuse me sir…" she said with a sweet voice. "…Could you please help me? I-I can't find my Puppy." She cupped her hands together. "Puppy? Puppy! Here Puppy!" No answer came, which seemed to hurt the woman deeply.

Mewtwo acted as if he were going to punch her in the face, but when his fist stopped inches from her eyes, nothing happened. She didn't even blink…anyone that can see would blink. Mewtwo groaned- he didn't have time for this…but seeing the woman's fearful statement he couldn't just leave her like this. "Tell me. Have you always been blind?"

The woman was taken aback by this remark. "W-what kind of thing is that to ask?! Are you that mean that you would rather tease me than help me young man? Shame on you!"

Mewtwo sighed. "Tell me!"

The woman, on the verge of tears, answered. "N-no. I had an accident when I was a child. I…"

"That's all I wanted to know." Mewtwo quickly placed his hand on her eyes and focused.

"What are you doing?!" she cried. Soon, strange warmth came into her, and her eyes started to itch. Instinctively she recoiled and stepped away from the stranger, who didn't seem to mind. The itching disappeared, and was instead replaced by…light?

"Wha…what's going on? I can…see?" She looked at her own hands, then around the alleyway. Her eyes were filled with joy, until her gaze fell on Mewtwo, who stood there quietly. She cried out at the top of her lungs. "Ahh!! A monster!" She ran out of the alley as fast as her legs could carry her, leaving behind a sad but satisfied pokémon.

__

I guess that wasn't the Ditto. Better keep looking…

****

Kayla and her Muk climbed up the ladder and moved the manhole out of the way with a push. Slowly they climbed out of the sewer and returned the manhole to its proper location. Looking around, they found themselves in front of a large hotel for the many visitors to Neon Town. Now, of course, it was empty due to the hasty evacuation of the residents when the Super-Ditto arrived.

"Okay Muk, return." Kayla held the creature's pokéball out, and the Muk returned as it was told. Kayla returned the pokéball to her pocket, and worked her way down the street, all the while wishing she hadn't volunteered to go in the sewers.

"All right…if I was a crazed super-pokémon, where would I be…" Kayla walked down the street, where she heard the sound of a woman screaming. She ran down the street, yelling "Monster!!" as she dashed past Kayla.

"Monster! Must be Ditto!" she said. She ran down the street, and searched the area for the source of the woman's fear. She turned to see Mewtwo strolling out of an alley.

Must be a trick…Kayla pulled out a pokéball and through it to the ground, releasing her Dugtrio. "Alright monster! You're mine!"

Mewtwo looked at her oddly. "…It's me, Mewtwo." He made no move to defend himself.

"Oh yeah? How do I know you're telling the truth?" Dugtrio cheered ("Trio!") in agreement.

"Once this is over, I'll take you to Disneyland just like your father did. Good enough?"

Kayla blinked. That she hadn't expected…especially out of him. "…Yeah. Sorry Mewtwo." She recalled Dugtrio and put his pokéball away. "Any luck?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "No. I found some tracks that lead into this alleyway, but all I found was that woman you probably saw running. She's not the Ditto." Mewtwo turned around and started looking up and down the alley, carefully searching for more clues.

"What scared her?" said Kayla.

"…Nothing. She took one look at me and got scared. That's all."

"Oh, I see." Kayla looked up into the air, looking for the twins. "I wonder how the girls are doing in the search."

Mewtwo exited the alley. "Probably as well as we are. This Ditto could hide for months. It doesn't need any sustenance as we know it."

Kayla nodded in agreement. As she stood there, she saw some movement in the alleyway from the corner of her eye. A tendril moved towards Mewtwo, threatening to encircle him. Kayla shouted "Mewtwo, look out!"

The pokémon was unable to dodge in time, and was grabbed by a gooey tentacle colored like the brick wall of the alleyway. Mewtwo was lifted into the air by his neck, slowly being choked to death, as well as covered by the Ditto's body as it sought to smother him. Mewtwo struggled and tore at the attacker, but each time his hands either went through the pokémon or the tendrils were replaced with a new one.

"Kayla, get back!" yelled Mewtwo. Kayla did so, and Mewtwo charged up his psychic energy. Kayla dove for cover behind an overturned car, and watched as Mewtwo unleashed his telekinetic powers in a spherical flash of energy from his body. The Super-Ditto, including a large portion of the buildings that made up the alleyway, was forced away from Mewtwo, and crumbled around him. The Super-Ditto splattered on the street in a heap of goop as it reformed, while Mewtwo and Kayla went battle ready.

"Until the twins get here, stay back." Mewtwo ordered. The pokémon leaped into the air and shot a Psychic blast at the puddle that was his opponent. The blast went straight through him, destroying the street below it, but doing little more to the Ditto than prolonging its time to reform. Mewtwo watched as the pokémon transformed into a massive Blastoise, who stared menacingly at the purple pokémon. Not wasting any time, Ditto/Blastoise shot a powerful Hydro Pump attack straight at Mewtwo, which knocked him to the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Blastoise charged and belly-slammed Mewtwo, letting his weight hold him down. He proceeded to beat on him brutally with his massive fists, each time knocking Mewtwo's face right to left and right again. Blastoise seemed to have the upper hand, until a powerful Thunder attack swept through its body, forcing it into its shell. When it had withdrawn, Mewtwo knocked it away with a powerful telekinesis blast. He stumbled to his feet as Mary-Kate and Ashley joined him, along with Kayla behind them.

"Good thing they arrived, don't you think?" Kayla said sarcastically.

Mewtwo nodded. "Thanks for the help. Not that I needed it, of course."

Kayla giggled. "Oh yes. We all know that the oh-so-manly Mewtwo can fight on his own. He doesn't need a woman's help." Mewtwo managed to make a wry smile before their enemy- now a Charizard- stood up and defiantly snorted at his opponents.

"We need to hit him with something powerful- the attacks we've done so far haven't affected it too much." Kayla said.

Mewtwo nodded. "Right. I think I have it." Mewtwo lifted his palm face up and focused his energy, which crackled in his hand. "When I say now, hit Ditto with your strongest fire attack."

"What do you mean? He's a Charizard right now. The fire attacks won't hurt him." Mewtwo grunted as the energy forming in his hand formed into a ball of light above his palm. Unlike his normal, blue globes of energy, this one was a bright white and felt warm to the touch…if anyone dared to touch it.

"I know. I'll handle that. You and your girls just be ready." Mewtwo threw the globe high into the night sky, which sailed off into the distance a ways before exploding into a cloud of bright light. When the fog finally disappeared, a bright glowing ball of energy could be seen, like a miniature sun. The rays of light shined down, giving power to Mewtwo and the two Super-Dragonites, as well as Charizard unfortunately.

"That's a Sunny Day attack…" said Kayla with awe.

"Get ready!" said Mewtwo as he charged forward. Ditto/Charizard, recognizing this attack, released a powerful Flamethrower, which slammed into Mewtwo's psychic Barrier. The attack was able to shatter the Barrier thanks to its raw strength, and Mewtwo became engulfed in flames. The pokémon screamed in agony, but was able to retain enough control to fire a blast of arctic temperatures from his outstretched hands. His Blizzard attack hit the Charizard, causing it extreme pain, even though the Sunny Day effect weakened the ice attack considerably. As Mewtwo fell to the ground, still on fire but alive, the Ditto/Charizard transformed instantly into an angry Cloyster yet again. The Blizzard attack wore off quickly, thanks to the Cloyster being a Water/Ice type.

"Now!" yelled Mewtwo. He leaped up and with the last of his power, he attracted a handful of light from the Sunny Day to his hand and instantly shot a powerful Solar Beam attack at the enemy. The Ditto/Cloyster used Protect to shield itself from the brutal attack, which shook the city like a miniature earthquake. Right behind it however, came two Fire Blasts with such destructive power, that they crashed through the barrier, and charred-broiled the Cloyster. The smoking creature fell in a heap of slime as it returned to its form as a Ditto, exhausted but barely alive. Mewtwo, still smoking as well, floated to the ground, exhausted. He was too weak to even Recover.

"Yes! We did it!" cheered Kayla. "Good job you guys!"

"Yes, well done." Mewtwo added weakly. "I think we've finally beaten this thing." Slowly, the Ditto started to move again, much to their surprise. It stared up at them…not with red eyes, but with normal, black dot eyes. The Ditto had a pleading look on its face, and it looked up at them with sad eyes.

Kayla felt a twinge of pity for the creature. "…Poor thing…maybe he really didn't mean to hurt anyone. He's only doing what he was made to do." As if in response to what she said, the Ditto transformed again, becoming the most fearsome form yet…a Electrode. Not just an Electrode, but a Super-Electrode.

"No!" Mewtwo said, but it was too late. The pokémon started crackling with electricity as it charged up for its Explosion attack- the most powerful attack a pokémon could use, but with all the damage this Ditto had sustained, it wouldn't survive the explosion…and it didn't seem to care.

"The city'll be toast if this thing goes off!" yelled Kayla.

Mewtwo struggled to his feet, trying to call on his powers. Unfortunately, that Super Solar Beam had drained him completely. He managed to create a spark of blue energy before collapsing to the ground again. "I…I can't contain the blast. We've got about thirty seconds before this thing gathers the energy it needs to explode, and there's no way to get all the people downtown out of here by then."

The twins looked at the Electrode with grim determination, and they turned to Kayla moments later. Kayla looked deep into their eyes, and felt their thoughts inside her mind. Slowly, she understood. She understood their plan…and she knew she had to go with them. They were a team, after all…mother and daughter. 

Kayla grabbed the Electrode with all her strength and hopped onto the backs of the two Super-Dragonites. "Okay girls. Let's get this thing out of here!"

Mewtwo tried to stand, but failed yet again. "Kayla! Don't! You don't have to-"

"Yes we do. They are the only ones fast enough to do it, and I am their trainer. You understand. Although I'll have to call a rain check on our trip to Disneyland."

Mewtwo grunted painfully as he managed to stand on his own two feet. "…Kayla."

Kayla smiled down at Mewtwo as the girls floated up. Tearfully, she waved with her one free hand. "Thank you, Mewtwo. I'm proud to have been your trainer for the short time we knew each other." In the silence that followed, Mary-Kate and Ashley zoomed off as fast as they possibly could, using their combined speed to zoom high above the desert city. 

"Kayla!!" cried Mewtwo one last time. Seconds later, a gigantic explosion of epic proportions shook the city and blinded everyone who saw it. Mewtwo was forced to shield his eyes as the bright light enveloped the sky. The roar of the explosion deafened him momentarily, but almost as quickly as it started, the explosion died down. Mewtwo looked into the sky, hoping to see any sign of them still being alive, but all he saw was the last flashes of light from the Electrode falling to the Earth.

__

…Kayla.

****

-------------------

Channel 13 News

-------------------

"Good morning, Ian C. Slightly here, bringing you an update on the terrorist attack in Neon Town a few months ago. Police have finally confirmed that the attack was not an act of any terrorist group or any documented pokémon trainers in the various Leagues. Neon City's Chief of Police comments on the attack."

[Camera cuts to Seymour Butts in Neon Town with Officer Jenny…the edgy one.]

"Seymour Butts here, coming to you live from Neon Town with Officer Jenny. Thanks for talking with us ma'am."

"Let's just get this over with." Jenny barked. The reporter cringed but continued his interview.

"Ms. Jenny, what do you think was the reason for the explosion above Neon Town."

A crazy guy in the background comes running up. "It's aliens man! Our world will be destroyed! They're coming man! They're- *smack*" Officer Jenny threw the guy across the street, then dusted her hands off.

"Okay, as I was saying, we here at the NTPD believe the event was nothing more than a criminal act by Team Rocket designed to further their goals for world domination."

"What makes you think that ma'am?" asked the reporter.

Officer Jenny held up a charred, but discernible Team Rocket uniform piece that showed the red R emblazoned on it. "This piece of clothing was found on the top of a building near the site of the explosion. We believe that the owner was accidentally caught in their own explosion, and misfired it into the sky. We suspect it's those same two numbskulls from Team Rocket that came here the last time to cause trouble. They had that weird motto of there's, but I forget how it goes…" Officer Jenny turned around and yelled to another officer. "Hey Berny! How did that motto go?!"

"Wasn't it like 'Protect the world from deportation?' Oh wait, no it was 'Defend the world from devastation.'"

"No it wasn't! It's-" *They continue to argue off camera.*

"Well, this has been Seymour Butts, coming to you from Neon Town. Back to you Ian."

The large television screen clicked off, and the man watching it silently twiddled his fingers. Giovanni was feeling a little worried now that this had occurred. Nobody has been identified as the source of this problem (apparently Jesse and James weren't the bumbling idiots this time), but Giovanni nevertheless was worried about this situation. With the last of his super-pokémon destroyed, Giovanni was less than happy with Team Rocket in general, and it showed.

"Next time…next time I'll get you Mewtwo." Giovanni said angrily. "Next time, you won't get away that easily."

__

I think not…

"What?! Who's there?!" said Giovanni. "Security!"

__

They can't hear you. They're already taken care of. A ghostly image of Mewtwo appeared before Giovanni's desk, hovering eerily before him.

"What'd you do?! How'd you get here?! I'm still wearing this!" Giovanni reached down and held the device he had been wearing to protect himself from Mewtwo's powers. "You can't hurt me! HA!"

__

Your device is useless, Giovanni. As are you. 

Giovanni stood up, and his Persian did the same. "Do your worst! You can't hurt me! Just because you can talk to me doesn't mean you can do anything." Giovanni smiled evilly at the floating form of Mewtwo, who did nothing for the moment. "Ha! See?! You're as harmless as a kitten!"

__

I'm not here to kill you Giovanni…then I'd be no better than you. A heartless killer.

"You're breaking my heart." Giovanni said sarcastically. "You may have managed to win this time, but I'll simply rebuild the equipment. I _will_ make the perfect soldier, and it will destroy you and lead me to world domination."

__

I don't think so. Mewtwo reached forward and shattered the device around Giovanni's neck with his bare hand. Before Giovanni could retaliate, Mewtwo's other hand was around Giovanni's throat, holding him still. Giovanni stared fearfully into the eyes of the most powerful pokémon alive, while trying to keep his pants clean.

"What're you going to do? Y-you said you weren't going to kill me! Guards!!" Nobody responded, and all that happened was Mewtwo's eyes glowed with blue light, which blinded Giovanni momentarily. Instantaneously, Giovanni found his thoughts slipping away, as a force outside his control started ruthlessly peeling away his memories.

__

You can't desire what you don't know about. From now on, you'll know nothing about super-pokémon, or myself. No humans will…unless I allow it.

Giovanni spat out angrily, "I…am…your…"

__

…Master? You may have made me. But, just like Frankenstein…its creator couldn't control the creation. Ironically enough, I have trouble telling which of us is the real monster and which of us is the real man.

Giovanni screamed one last time, before he blacked out…the last image of the super pokémon Mewtwo fading away from his memory.

****

-----------------

New Island II

-----------------

Mewtwo walked through the lab, forcing himself to do something worthwhile, rather than dwell on what happened to Kayla and her pokémon. It had been several months since then, but the pain was still fresh in his mind. That was the downside of being psychic- you never forget anything, and memories are as fresh in your mind as the day they are made…at least the ones that aren't buried in your mind. For Mewtwo, that was basically only the memories of his life since awakening in the lab… a life of pain and suffering…of war and strife… a life of death.

Mewtwo gave up trying to complete his tasks for the day and walked down to his room. Why bother trying? Now that he had tied up the loose ends in the human world, nobody on Earth knew he and his brethren existed. There was no need to work on his island's defenses…no reason to train.

No…there was a reason. Mewtwo would always train…if nothing else, it helped him feel like a real pokémon. All pokémon train to become better and stronger. It was also a way for a pokémon to show how much they cared for their trainers; that he had learned from that trainer Ash and his Pikachu. And for Mewtwo…that had new meaning now. Mewtwo looked up at a picture hanging on the wall of his private chambers. There, a simple picture of Kayla was hung, depicting her in front of her home in Cerulean City, doing a "V for Victory" for the camera. Wordlessly, he looked at the picture, and glanced down at the label beneath it with a light smile.

Kayla Branaghan. Friend and Trainer Forever.


End file.
